According to Forbes, Ubisoft has unveiled a new AI research project called “Teammates” that transforms non-playable characters into voice-responsive companions. Director Xavier Manzanares demonstrated the technology in Paris, showing how players can use natural voice commands through headsets to control AI assistants and squad members. The system includes an AI companion called Jaspar that answers plot questions, changes settings, and summarizes game lore without pausing gameplay. In combat demonstrations, players could issue complex tactical commands like “flank to the right” to robotic soldiers Pablo and Sophia. Testing with 300 randomly selected players began on October 29, though Ubisoft hasn’t announced when the public might get access. The team working on generative AI at Ubisoft grew from 25 to 80 staff members between January and March this year.
From sci-fi to gaming reality
This is one of those moments where gaming’s long-standing sci-fi fantasies are becoming actual features. Remember all those games where you wished you could just tell your AI companion what to do instead of dealing with clunky command wheels or scripted behaviors? Ubisoft is basically trying to build that. The fact that they’re demonstrating unscripted responses to natural language commands is pretty wild when you think about it. Instead of “press X to make character do Y,” you’re having what sounds like actual conversations with your digital squad mates.
The voice command revolution we’ve been waiting for
Voice commands in games have always been kind of… disappointing, honestly. Remember those early attempts where you had to use specific phrases and it never worked right? This feels different because it’s built on modern generative AI rather than simple voice recognition. The demo showing characters reasoning about commands instead of just responding to keywords is the key distinction here. They’re not just hearing “pressure plate” and running to the nearest pressure plate – they’re understanding the context and intent behind your words. That’s a massive leap forward if it works consistently.
The elephant in the room
Here’s the thing though – Forbes notes there are concerns among developers about job displacement and potential quality impacts. And you can see why. If AI can handle character interactions, dialogue, and companion behaviors, what happens to the writers and designers who traditionally create those systems? There’s also the question of whether AI-driven characters will feel as meaningful as carefully crafted ones. Will players form the same emotional connections with algorithm-generated companions? These are real questions Ubisoft will need to address as this technology moves forward.
Where this could actually change gaming
The most exciting potential here isn’t just about giving orders in combat. Think about massive open-world games where you can ask your AI companion about that weird symbol you saw three hours ago, or get a refresher on political factions when you return to a game after a month away. That “always accessible, voice-driven companion” could fundamentally change how we experience complex game worlds. No more digging through codex entries or watching recap videos – you just ask your in-game buddy what’s up. If Ubisoft can pull this off without the usual AI jankiness, we might be looking at one of those rare technologies that actually changes how we play games rather than just being a gimmick.
