A recent patent filed by Disney points to the development of a “Procedural System for Emergent Narrative Construction”. Simply put, this technology allows for the creation of a narrative by inputting data and letting the system construct the narrative.
The patent claims:
A user interface may be presented to a creator to facilitate the creation of narrative content. The user interface may be part of a system configured to generate recommendations pertaining to narrative content. The narrative content is meant to be experienced by users, e.g., in a virtual space. Feedback and/or other responses from the creator may be used to train and/or modify the generation of new recommendations. Feedback and/or other responses from the users may be used to train and/or modify the generation of new recommendations.
How this works is that the system is given content, broken down into “bins” based on logical sequential structure, and then picks one piece of narrative from each bin to form a narrative. Think of it as a sort of Chipotle for virtual narration, you choose your meat, beans, and filling to make your burrito, only in this context the food is narrative content and the burrito is a complete narrative structure.
Where this technology will be used, if ever, is unclear. There have been rumblings that such a technology could be used in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge or at the soon-to-be-built Star Wars hotel near Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
I guess this application of such methodology merits a patent in the themed entertainment industry, but it’s been used for quite a while in scripting branching interactions with Non-Player Characters in video games. And it’s likely they’re using a variety of real-world “triggers” that are activated in these potential interactions – like opening a door or activating some kind of special effect.