Sixth Wall’s CharacterOS software Focuses on Behavioral Licensing; Possible Applications to ‘D&D’?
Hasbro, in partnership with ElevenLabs, has launched Sixth Wall, a new AI studio.
This new AI studio introduces the concept of Behavioral Licensing, which is a new category of IP licensing. The idea behind Behavioral Licensing is to preserve the manner in which a popular character thinks, speaks, and acts, which goes beyond identifying a character (for IP purposes) by how they appear. The goal is to establish canon for a character’s personality and voice as well as implement guardrails for interactive experiences using AI software called CharacterOS.
The AI behavior models for characters will be built based on authorized source material and human voice performances; Hasbro has a compensation structure in place for participating human talent. When the studio launches, 12 Hasbro characters will be available for Behavioral Licensing. These characters include Optimus Prime, Megatron, Cobra Commander, Mr. Potato Head, and the cast of Clue.
“CharacterOS is compelling because it unlocks a bigger creative canvas while addressing a real challenge in AI: the unauthorized use of content,” said Chris Cocks, CEO of Hasbro. ” It gives brands a trusted way to bring characters into new AI-enabled platforms without losing what makes them authentic.”
The announcement of this studio, and the concept behind it, presents more questions than answers because the scope of the CharacterOS software’s application is seemingly vast, as described. Hasbro also announced that they will be accepting partnership requests for Behavior Licensing pilots across a range of categories: interactive storytelling experiences, conversational games/companions, physical connected products and robotics, AI-powered brand ambassadors, and more.
Perhaps the biggest AI software application question that would come up, when looking over these categories, is “How will Sixth Wall’s software apply to Dungeons & Dragons in the future?” As an example, in RPGs, the mannerisms of non-player characters (NPCs) have traditionally been role-played differently from GM to GM. It is possible that WotC could use this software to standardize the personalities of notable NPCs and have them actually interact with players at the table, via audio on a laptop, tablet, or smart phone (individual character personalities could be purchased as microtransactions). This possibility is, of course, only the tip of the iceberg for CharacterOS.
Formula 1 has recently teamed up with Hasbro Games for a new Monopoly game (see “Formula 1 Racing Teams Up“).
Source: ICV2
