Microsoft’s using Minecraft to boost artificial intelligence research with Project AIX

Microsoft has quietly unveiled a new platform that harnesses the power of Minecraft to expedite artificial intelligence (AI) development.

The project is under the leadership of Katja Hofmann, a researcher at Microsoft’s Machine Learning and Perception Group in the company’s Cambridge-based U.K. lab. Called Project AIX, it offers computer scientists the chance to use Minecraft to test out and improve AI research. As an example, a bunch of Microsoft researchers in New York have been using AIX to try to teach a Minecraft character to climb a hill without actually being programmed to do so. The learning process involves trial and error, and the character is given the same tools and resources as a human would when learning to do something new.