Boosting human-level AI with videogames: Mad University

Purpose - The main intention of this paper is to state the benefits of using online videogames as a research environment, where AI algorithms are improved by means of learning from real-human-behaviour examples. Design/methodology/approach - The manner of taking advantage from the flux of real-human-behaviour examples inside an online videogame is stated. Then Mad University, a prototype online videogame specifically conceived and developed for this purpose, is explained. Findings - Human-like AI in artificial algorithms can be boosted by means of a specific kind of online videogame called MMORPGs, used as a research environment. Research limitations/implications - Mad University is a prototype videogame which has been developed to experiment with AI algorithms that aim to learn strategies in a generalized fashion. The next research step will be to improve Mad University and to put it to work with hundreds of players and then research and test the effectiveness of the AI algorithms. Originality/value - This paper proposes a new way of testing and experimenting with AI algorithms in order to obtain more human-like results, and claims to have attempted to develop a generalized learning method.