Inworld AI Secures $80M in Funding for AI Game Characters and Open Source Character Engine

Inworld AI, the maker of an AI-based character engine for games, has raised $50 million in funding from Lightspeed Venture Partners, bringing its valuation to over $500 million. The funding round also included investments from Stanford University, Samsung Next, Microsoft's M12 fund, and others. Inworld AI aims to create non-player characters (NPCs) that are as smart as people, with the ability to understand the world, have long-term memory, and engage in realistic dialogue. The company plans to use the funding to accelerate research and development, hire top talent, invest in infrastructure, and launch an open-source version of its character engine.