When it first came out, Grand Theft Auto boasted one of the most immersive and graphically stunning cityscapes ever seen in gaming. Quickly becoming the second best-selling video game, one of the significant points of praise was for the technical engineering and design involved in creating Los Santos. The game is now seven years old, has found its place in three generations of consoles, and is still widely played. It is also being used for research and experimentation by scientists.
Intel ISL is one of these groups using Grand Theft Auto 5 for research purposes. Intel ISL is specialized in AI research and is currently working on its Photorealism Enhancement project, which utilizes a machine learning tool to make computer-generated images look photorealistic.
The tool operates by examining the computer images, compares them with real-life photos, and then enhances the computer images resulting in a more photorealistic effect. GTA 5 has a slew of mods that help to overhaul the textures and offer superb visuals, but this takes it to the next level. Maybe we’ll see it used in GTA 6?
Intel ISL has released a very informative video that explains the processes working in its photorealism AI. The group’s experiment is several levels higher than other visual enhancement methods. While it is quite a technical video, they do show visuals to compare the original with the enhanced images, and the results speak for themselves. The most notable differences appear to be darker AI images which smooth out the textures and contrasts better than the original GTA 5 footage.
The most significant advantage of the AI system over traditional visual enhancement methods is that it is “temporally stable”. This means that when a car travels down the roads of Los Santos, it won’t experience any quality fluctuations. Other visual alteration methods such as CUT, TSIT, and WCT 2 often cause strange flickering and texture changes. Despite many of these other methods being state-of-the-art, Intel ISL’s is easily the smoothest.
This tool is still experimental, but it is a very exciting proposition for the future of video games. The tech is definitely going to be expensive, but it may be possible to integrate this AI into games to help create more photorealistic visuals. This is going to depend on the game developers and what kind of aesthetic they want for their games. But, we may see some games, especially simulators, utilize this technology to create a more immersive experience.
About Grand Theft Auto V
Grand Theft Auto V or GTA V is developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. Initially released on 1 October 2013 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and on 18 November 2014 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and in the next year on 14 April 2015 for Microsoft Windows. A late 2021 release is scheduled for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
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