Utility AI
Utility AI is a decision-making system used in game development and AI applications where an agent evaluates multiple possible actions based on a utility function that assigns scores to each option. It selects the action with the highest utility score, allowing for dynamic and context-sensitive behavior rather than rigid state-based transitions. This approach enables more nuanced and realistic AI behaviors by considering various factors like goals, resources, and environmental conditions.
Developers should learn Utility AI when creating non-player characters (NPCs) in games, autonomous agents in simulations, or any system requiring adaptive decision-making without fixed state machines. It is particularly useful for scenarios where actions have varying degrees of desirability based on changing contexts, such as in strategy games, robotics, or interactive storytelling, as it provides a flexible and scalable alternative to finite state machines or behavior trees.