opinion

I asked an AI to develop a Sonic the Hedgehog dark ride. Here’s what it came up with

Will AI take over the planet or could it just maybe develop your next new dark ride attraction? Tom Anstey asked an AI a few simple questions to see how it would do in developing such a ride concept

Could and should AI develop your next attraction?

You’ve probably been living under a rock if you haven’t heard of ChatGPT at this point. The artificial intelligence chatbot was developed by OpenAI and launched in November 2022, gaining attention for its incredible general knowledge and detailed responses. Always learning based on human interaction, the AI does make its mistakes. But it can also produce some incredible results.

So how did it do developing a dark ride attraction based on a few simple prompts?

I gave an AI five instructions. The first was to design the ultimate dark ride experience. The second was to give that experience a name. The third was to redesign the ride based on its new name and the fourth one was to implement an IP into the ride. Finally, I asked what I would need to build such an attraction.



Following instruction one - “design the ultimate dark ride experience” - this was the result:

The ultimate dark ride experience should be an immersive and thrilling journey that takes riders on a wild adventure through a fantastic and fantastical world. Here's my design:

    1. Pre-show: Riders enter a themed queue area that sets the tone for the ride. The queue is filled with interactive elements, animatronics, and special effects that build anticipation for the ride to come.

    2. Loading area: The ride vehicles are designed to look like futuristic pods. Riders enter and buckle up as the pods begin to move down a dark corridor.

    3. First scene: The pods enter a large chamber filled with towering trees, exotic plants, and animals. As the pods move through the scene, the trees and plants come alive with special effects, moving and rustling in the wind. Riders are transported to a strange and otherworldly jungle.

    4. Second scene: The pods move into an underground cavern filled with glowing crystals and strange rock formations. As the pods move through the cavern, riders experience sudden drops and twists, narrowly avoiding obstacles as they navigate the twisting tunnels.

    5. Third scene: The pods move into a cityscape, flying through a futuristic metropolis filled with towering skyscrapers, neon lights, and hovering vehicles. As the pods move through the city, riders are chased by robotic drones, dodging laser blasts and explosions.

    6. Fourth scene: The pods enter a dark and eerie forest, where the trees are twisted and gnarled, and strange creatures lurk in the shadows. The forest is filled with fog and special effects, and riders experience sudden drops and twists as they navigate the twisted paths.

    7. Fifth scene: The pods enter a grand hall, filled with treasures and artefacts from around the world. As the pods move through the hall, the treasures come alive, glowing and shimmering in the dark. Riders experience sudden drops and twists as they narrowly avoid obstacles and dodge flying artefacts.

    8. Final scene: The pods emerge into a bright and colourful world, filled with light and energy. The ride ends with a thrilling finale, as the pods race through a maze of tunnels, dodging obstacles and explosions as they speed toward the finish line.



So for a first attempt based on six words. This is a pretty good attempt. I wanted to flesh out the concept a little more though, especially with the theme of the ride as the current idea while fantastical was a little generic.

The next step was to tell the AI to name the ride. This would give the ride context and through its intelligence would develop a theme that would create excitement for potential visitors to this attraction.

In response to “Name the dark ride”, the AI said:

I would name this dark ride "Adventure Through the Multiverse." This name emphasises the idea of exploring different worlds and dimensions, which is central to the ride experience. It also conveys a sense of excitement and adventure, which is exactly what riders would experience on this thrilling journey through a fantastical and otherworldly realm.



So now the AI has given logic for its design choices. Taking the knowledge of what it has already created, we now have a strong theme that will appeal to visitors and draw them into our under-development attraction. We can still up the game though, so it’s time for another instruction.

This time, using the title given by ChatGPT, I told the AI to “develop Adventure Through the Multiverse as a dark ride attraction. My hope was that it would take its original concept and add new layers thanks to the name that it had come up with.

Here’s what it said:

"Adventure Through the Multiverse" is an immersive dark ride attraction that takes riders on a thrilling journey through a series of different worlds and dimensions. Here's how I envision the attraction being developed:

    1. Concept and Storyline: The first step in developing the attraction would be to create a compelling concept and storyline. The ride would take place in a futuristic science lab, where a group of scientists has developed a device that allows people to travel through different dimensions. The riders would be part of a team of explorers sent on a mission to explore these dimensions and discover new worlds.

    2. Queue and Pre-Show: The queue area would be designed to look like the science lab, with interactive elements and displays showcasing the device and the various worlds that riders will explore. The pre-show would introduce the riders to the storyline and explain how the device works.

    3. Ride Vehicles: The ride vehicles would be designed to look like futuristic pods, with seating for up to four riders per pod. The pods would be equipped with special effects, such as smoke and strobe lights, to enhance the experience.

    4. Scenes: The ride would consist of several scenes, each taking riders through a different world or dimension. Here are a few possible scenes:

    • Jungle World: The pods enter a lush, tropical jungle filled with exotic plants and animals. Riders encounter animatronic creatures, special effects, and sudden drops and turns as they navigate the dense foliage.
    • Ice World: The pods travel to a frozen world, where everything is covered in ice and snow. Riders navigate through icy tunnels and avoid obstacles as they speed across the frozen landscape.
    • Futuristic City: The pods travel to a high-tech city of the future, filled with towering skyscrapers and flying vehicles. Riders must dodge laser blasts and avoid collisions as they speed through the futuristic metropolis.
    • Space Station: The pods dock at a space station orbiting a distant planet. Riders explore the station, encountering alien creatures and battling zero gravity as they navigate through the twisting corridors.

    5. Finale: The ride ends with a thrilling finale, as the pods race through a chaotic portal filled with explosions and special effects, ultimately returning to the science lab where the adventure began.

Overall, "Adventure Through the Multiverse" would be a thrilling and immersive dark ride attraction, offering riders a unique and unforgettable experience as they explore different worlds and dimensions. With stunning special effects, animatronics, and interactive elements, this attraction would be sure to thrill and amaze riders of all ages.



So considering we’ve written 20 words so far, we have a pretty amazing concept for a multiversal dark ride. The idea has now been fleshed out with immersive zones themed on a series of different worlds. I wanted to add one more layer onto that story and see how it would cope if I inserted a specific IP into the mix. For this, I chose Sonic the Hedgehog.

The reason I chose Sonic is the AI would have a rich variety of worlds, locations and characters to choose from. An IP such as Sonic, one developed for video games, should provide a fantastic base for the AI to do its thing as it will easily translate over to a dark ride experience.

Here’s how the AI integrated the world of Sonic into its multiversal dark ride concept:

    1. Concept and Storyline: The ride would take place in Dr. Eggman's laboratory, where the evil genius has created a device that allows him to travel through different dimensions. Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends have discovered Eggman's plan and set out to stop him. The riders would be part of Sonic's team and sent on a mission to explore these dimensions and stop Eggman's evil plan.

    2. Queue and Pre-Show: The queue area would be designed to look like Eggman's laboratory, with interactive elements and displays showcasing the device and the various worlds that riders will explore. The pre-show would introduce the riders to the storyline and explain how the device works.

    3. Ride Vehicles: The ride vehicles would be designed to look like futuristic hovercrafts, with seating for up to four riders per craft. The hovercrafts would be equipped with special effects, such as smoke and strobe lights, to enhance the experience.

    4. Scenes: The ride would consist of several scenes, each taking riders through a different world or dimension. Here are a few possible scenes:

    • Green Hill Zone: The hovercrafts enter the iconic world of Green Hill Zone, filled with lush greenery, loops, and corkscrews. Riders encounter animatronic creatures, special effects, and sudden drops and turns as they navigate the landscape.
    • Chemical Plant Zone: The hovercrafts travel to a chemical factory where Eggman is creating a deadly concoction. Riders navigate through the chemical plant, avoiding obstacles and dodging giant vats of toxic goo.
    • City Escape: The hovercrafts travel to a bustling cityscape, where Eggman has taken over and unleashed his robotic army. Riders must dodge laser blasts and avoid collisions as they speed through the chaotic metropolis.
    • Death Egg: The hovercrafts dock at the Death Egg, Eggman's massive space station. Riders explore the station, encountering Eggman's deadliest robots and battling zero gravity as they navigate through the twisting corridors.
    • Finale: The ride ends with a thrilling finale, as the hovercrafts race through a chaotic portal filled with explosions and special effects, ultimately returning to Eggman's laboratory where the adventure began.

Overall, "Adventure Through the Multiverse" themed as a Sonic the Hedgehog dark ride would be a thrilling and immersive attraction, offering fans a chance to explore Sonic's iconic worlds and battle Eggman's evil plans. With stunning special effects, animatronics, and interactive elements, this attraction would be sure to thrill and amaze Sonic fans of all ages.



This is where I became seriously impressed by ChatGPT. Not only had it managed to incorporate a number of Sonic worlds, but it had also managed to build chronologically to what would have been the finale in the game. One criticism you could apply here is that the AI hasn’t mentioned the hero Sonic, though in this context the rider is seemingly playing the titular character. This could be easily adjusted with human intervention to include Sonic and friends as on screen characters.

Now this all sounds great but surely there has to be some technology involved in all this? How is the AI planning to develop this ride? So rather than work out what was needed, I asked it “explain the technology needed to develop the ride”.

Here’s what it said:

To develop "Adventure Through the Multiverse" as a dark ride attraction, a range of technologies would be needed to create an immersive and thrilling experience for riders. Here are some of the technologies that would be necessary:

    1. Ride Vehicles: The ride vehicles would need to be designed and engineered to provide a smooth and safe ride for riders. They would need to be capable of moving quickly and smoothly through the various scenes of the attraction. The vehicles would also need to be equipped with safety features such as lap bars and seat belts.

    2. Animatronics: Animatronics would be used to bring the various characters and creatures in the attraction to life. They would need to be designed and programmed to move in a lifelike way and interact with the ride vehicles as they pass by.

    3. Special Effects: Special effects such as smoke, fog, strobe lights, and sound effects would be used to enhance the immersion and excitement of the attraction. These effects would need to be carefully designed and integrated into the ride to create a seamless and thrilling experience for riders.

    4. Projection Mapping: Projection mapping technology could be used to create dynamic and immersive scenes that would surround the ride vehicles. This technology would allow for seamless integration of 3D animations and special effects onto physical objects and sets, providing an immersive and interactive experience for the riders.

    5. Audio Systems: High-quality audio systems would be needed to provide clear and immersive sound effects, music, and dialogue throughout the attraction. The audio systems would need to be carefully designed and calibrated to ensure that riders can hear the audio clearly and that it enhances the overall experience.

    6. Control Systems: A sophisticated control system would be needed to coordinate all of the ride elements and synchronise them with the audio and special effects. This system would need to be capable of running multiple ride vehicles simultaneously, while also controlling the animatronics, special effects, and audio.

Overall, the development of "Adventure Through the Multiverse" as a dark ride attraction would require a range of cutting-edge technologies, all carefully integrated and orchestrated to create a seamless and thrilling experience for riders.



Incredibly, the AI has managed to highlight all the main things you would need to build your dark ride. Of course the expertise is missing and the list of companies that could supply various elements is not included but with further probing and questioning, you really could have an AI advise you on the development of what sounds like an incredible dark ride experience.

You have to take AI with a pinch of salt, however. It can do some incredible things but at the end of the day it will never have that spark of real intelligence that humans offer.

ChatGPT is incredibly versatile. It’s smart enough to write and debug computer programs, write music, script movies, play games and more. Seemingly it can come up with a pretty great dark ride concept just with a few simple prompts.

OpenAI has already acknowledged that ChatGPT “sometimes writes plausible-sounding but incorrect or nonsensical answers”, a behaviour known as “hallucination”. Human oversight and algorithmic bias also change the thinking of the bot, even leading it to sometimes say malicious things.

Anecdotally speaking I recently tried out ChatGPT by seeing how it would write a thank you letter to my stepmother. At first I just said her name and didn’t reference her being my stepmother. It called her a dear friend in the first attempt so I told it to repeat the letter but added she was my step mother. Because the AI had learned its information from the internet and collective knowledge, it rewrote the letter assuming with no such prompt that she was an evil person and that we didn’t get along, which while very funny did not put together the best thank you letter!

The technology has also caused controversy. In late March 2023, the Italian data protection authority banned ChatGPT in Italy and opened an investigation. Italian regulators assert that OpenAI's use of ChatGPT conversations as training data could be a violation of Europe's GDPR. On March 28, 2023, a number of public figures, including Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak, signed an open letter by the Future of Life Institute, calling for an immediate pause of Giant AI Experiments like ChatGPT, citing “profound risks to society and humanity”.

The bottom line with AI is that while it quite literally has an (artificial) mind of its own, it is what you make it.

ChatGPT and AI in general is not perfect but it can do incredible things. With human knowledge and oversight it is a tool that you could and should be using. This was a few simple instructions telling AI to develop a dark ride. The more information you give it, the better the result.

AI is largely unknown, untapped but certainly not unusable. Give it a go. It might surprise you.

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