Right now AI is all of the rage, especially with the popularity of ChatGPT and Dall E 2. So this brings to mind a few questions.
Will bots take over Splinterlands?
Bots seem to have already taken over Splinterlands, and whether you think this is a good thing or a bad thing, it is 100% allowed and the @Splinterlands team has stated they will not prevent bot accounts from playing.
Obviously, Splinterlands is a decentralized game and the whole point is to not be biased or be able to choose who/what can or cannot play.
However, there are some concerns people have regarding this. First of all, there seems to be somewhat of an advantage to bots since they are programmed to know the best cards to play in any ruleset with very low risk of losing. But for me, I feel like playing against bots is easy since they are pretty predictable in how they play.
Now, with the way battles are setup players are not able to know who their opponent is until after they choose their cards, but they do have the ability to see which cards were played in the last 5 battles. So that could possibly give players a hint to whether they are playing against a bot.
So there are definitely pros and cons to bots, but the reality is that they probably aren't going anywhere.
What about AI in Splinterlands?
Pre-programmed bots might not seem like too much of a concern since they are somewhat predictable, but what about artificial intelligence?
With the rise of AI, I feel like it is only a matter of time until there are programs and even bots that utilize AI for playing, which could be A LOT more difficult to predict.
So what will happen once people take advantage of this up and coming technology on Splinterlands?
I feel like that there is no stopping the rise of AI, and honestly I feel like once people figure out how to leverage that technology on Splinterlands, that they will have a huge advantage over regular players.
What can be done about this?
I feel like bots have been a complaint since the beginning of Splinterlands, but honestly it has never bothered me that much.
But AI seems like it might be more of a concern for the reasons stated above.
So in my opinion there are only a few options to combat this issue:
If you can't beat them join them. So basically if there is a program or service then players could also choose to utilize this tech for their own edge in the game.
Rent to the bots. Players could just rent their cards on the market so the bots and AI players can rent rare cards that may not be available anymore, and those people can still earn a passive income by renting.
Lastly, we can have IRL events. This has been my suggestion for years, but with lockdowns it seemed to not be feasible for a couple of years. However, now that everything has seemed to calm down I feel like in-person events might be the best option to combat against bots and AI in Splinterlands. Obviously these can be banned for these events and easily prevented since players will be required to check in and closely monitored by not just the team but the audience.
Conclusion
I don't think the AI and bot takeover can be stopped. Not just here, but in any area or field.
So as I mentioned, all you can do is try and predict what the future with these technologies will look like and position yourself in a way where you can best succeed.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and let me know what your thoughts are regarding bots and AI in the comments. Have a great day!
(Disclaimer: I am not a financial or investment adviser, and none of my posts or replies are financial or investment advice.)