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Microsoft opens its Minecraft AI research tool to the public
Microsoft has officially open sourced its Project Malmo artificial intelligence tool, which allows developers to create and test out AI within the blocky world of Minecraft.
Project Malmo was first revealed in March when it was originally called Project AIX. The platform’s source code has been available to a small group of academic researchers since then, but as of this week, Project Malmo is now fully open source and available for anyone to use.
“We’re trying to put out the tools that will allow people to make progress on those really, really hard research questions,” said Katja Hoffman, the head of Project Malmo at Microsoft’s research lab in Cambridge, England.
In a blog post, Microsoft explained that Minecraft is a perfect setting for AI research as it simulates a number of real world problems in an easily controlled environment. Within Minecraft, researchers can test an AI’s ability to navigate physical spaces, use tools and resources, build items or structures, and more.
By making Project Malmo publicly available, Microsoft said that it hopes that developers will be able to easily compare their progress with one another and test the validity of certain theories or methods. According to Microsoft, AI researchers typically test their programs in unique environments that allow them to solve isolated problems, but with Project Malmo and Mincecraft, researchers will be able to test their AI in the same environment with controlled variables, making it easier to solve broader challenges in AI development.
Considering the fact that Microsoft reportedly paid $2.5 billion to acquire Minecraft studio Mojang AB in 2014, it is unsurprising that the company would be looking for more ways to take advantage of the incredibly popular game. In addition to Project Malmo, Microsoft has previously released a specialized version of the game aimed at educators called Minecraft: Education Edition.
If you are interested in trying out Project Malmo for yourself, you can download the source code on GitHub.
Image credit: Scott Eklund/Red Box Pictures via Microsoft
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