The talent behind the widely acclaimed AI exploration puzzle-game Talos Principle has finally chimed in on the matter of contemporary Large Language Models (i.e. LLM/AI) and what they mean for human society at large, and the team is actually choosing optimism. Serving as the conclusion to the entire series, The Talos Principle 3 will discuss what happens after death, and generative AI will be among the topics it touches upon by proxy.
The Talos Principle 3 is on the opposite end of the seriousness spectrum compared to developer Croteam’s other big-ticket item, Serious Sam. While Serious Sam may return sooner than expected, the limelight is still squarely on the final chapter of the Croatia-based studio’s renowned puzzle game series, and a recent interview has revealed some of the philosophy that drives the team’s efforts on this project.
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The Talos Principle 3 Developer Asks ‘What If We Weren’t [Screwed]’ by AI?
Croteam CCO Davor Hunski and writers Verena and Jonas Kyratzes spoke to Polygon in a recent interview discussing the nature of The Talos Principle 3, and the gist of it was that the team is telling this specific story “because [they] think that a lot of people don’t have hope.” As Talos Principle explores matters of consciousness and humanity, it only makes sense that its writers would take a measured stance towards the cutting edge of modern technology. “We have this weird phenomenon where we call things artificial intelligence that aren’t artificial intelligence, and now we’re all talking as if we had artificial intelligence,” said Jonas Kyratzes. “We have something very interesting in LLMs and in machine learning, but also we have a bunch of dumb companies randomly spending tons of money that they don’t know how to make back.”
Scratch & Peek
Identify the cover art while scratching off as little foil as
possible.
Whereas the majority of games like Portal hone in on the mechanics of their gameplay over everything else, the gameplay loop instead serves as the main narrative conceit in Talos Principle. “There’s a recurring concept in the games that what they’re trying to do is not to be more than human, but to be more human,” said Jonas. Later in the interview, Verena recalls a conversation with her father, who was certain that AI would necessarily be evil because the people responsible for it were evil. “But what if they weren’t?” she asked. “We tell this story because we think that a lot of people don’t have hope, because they don’t see the hope. A lot of the narrative out there — not just in games, but movies, books, et cetera — is dystopian. If we don’t tell those stories, then people will not believe that there is still hope. I look out there, and I also think, okay, we’re screwed. But what if we weren’t? What if enough people could hope again so that something could change?” While Croteam’s insistence on measured optimism might appear tone-deaf given the current state of the media industry, it’s not without merit.
Crucially, Croteam staff wasn’t interested in commenting on the use of LLMs in the here and now: “I actually think that the issue is that people have been annoying me with that since the first game,” Jonas said. Whereas some game directors criticize the use of AI in game development, Croteam is much more interested in discussing how the technology might evolve over a long period of time and how it might be used to understand humanity on a more poignant level. It’s a refreshing way of looking at things, and given that The Talos Principle first launched in 2014, before the onset of the ongoing LLM craze, it really is discussing actual artificial intelligence instead of statistical probability compression engines, and so the game’s story is beyond critique in this regard. “I know that Talos Principle is just one game against this giant flood of dystopian narratives, but we have to start somewhere,” Verena concluded the interview.
What’s That Weapon?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
The Talos Principle is going to conclude its main narrative with the third mainline release, which does not currently have an official launch window. As one of the very best games with robot protagonists, it tackles brainy topics that go far beyond the modern and popular understanding of AI and its dangers. With more Serious Sam on the horizon as well, it’s likely that the team will explore less cerebral topics for some time after the series’ final entry comes out, so anyone interested in a highly philosophical trip through what it means to be human and artificially intelligent might want to give it a shot.
