How It Could Help

I'm not sure if Scratch would even want this because of their guidelines about making Scratch easy for beginners, but I've always thought there should be some sort of AI functions that we could use in projects, not to make it just create the whole project for us, but use it for some of the examples below the text.

New Scratchers

If Scratch doesn't like the idea of this because it's too complicated for new people, it could just simply be a feature for Full Scratchers and not New Scratchers.

A Few Examples:

ask [What Is The Capital Of France?] and wait

if <(answer) is along the lines of [Paris]> then
say [Correct!] for (2) secs
end

This helps for answers that aren't perfectly the answer, maybe a miss-spelling or if they answer with “The …….. Is …..”

if <(answer) = <asking a question>> then
answer (answer) in (1) sentences
end

This helps for more responses to questions.

move this sprite to x: (0) y: (0) by [gliding]

hide this sprite by [bursting into flames and becoming a rock]

This can help do things that we can't with basic tools.

Now obviously, too much freedom with AI in Scratch would be pointless because you could make something like:

AI, do: [make a platformer game in 3D with enemies and a dragon boss fight at the end]

- This Is Made To Show A Bad Example Of AI Help

So I've added things that have their limitations, things that won't just allow a project to be almost made entirely by itself, but just help add some more things to stop serious limitations.

scootyboy-2010 wrote:

New Scratchers

If Scratch doesn't like the idea of this because it's too complicated for new people, it could just simply be a feature for Full Scratchers and not New Scratchers.

I realize this is not the main point of the post - but I feel that any feature like this ought to be available to all Scratchers. Surely AI like this would make project-making simpler for new Scratchers?

With regards to the post itself, I feel this has to be addressed by the Scratch team - especially as implementation with AI could be a bit icky.

Yeah, I was reading once in the Discuss pages that a lot of things have been rejected because New Scratchers understand, although I agree that this should be available for all, I'm just trying whatever I can to not get it rejected.

gotta love discouraging creativity with ai frfrfr

goofynamesnipe wrote:

gotta love discouraging creativity with ai frfrfr

This. Scratch is about working to make creative projects, not having a robot do it for you. This just, as said above, discourages people from being creative and making projects that are their own.

scootyboy-2010 wrote:

If Scratch doesn't like the idea of this because it's too complicated for new people, it could just simply be a feature for Full Scratchers and not New Scratchers.

Based on your mockup, it's not complicated in the slightest. That's why it's not good, it's easy to use and get shortcuts to making good projects. Personally, I'd rather play a game someone has put time and effort into, not a game made by AI because someone said “Make a cool platformer.”

zispe wrote:

not a game made by AI because someone said “Make a cool platformer.”

I think you need to re-read the text. I underlined the text near it for a reason to show :

scootyboy-2010 wrote:

Now obviously, too much freedom with AI in Scratch would be pointless because you could make something like:

This would be very costly if it were implemented. If Scratch used Chat-GPT (or any other AI model) it would cost money, and with Scratch being a non-profit it just wouldn't be feasible. Also, due to AI generating things, the user wouldn't have control/moderation over what is/could be generated. No support

goofynamesnipe wrote:

gotta love discouraging creativity with ai frfrfr

You forget about the opportunities for AI to enhance creativity.

For example, some users think that AI image generation will hinder creativity because then Scratchers will just use AI to make all their art for them. But backpacking/remixing already exists, and there aren't nearly as many complaints about people who use art made by others (with credit). There are even less complaints about those who use the default sprites from the sprite library. Is the sprite library hindering creativity? (No, because those who can't draw will not have the opportunity to be creative in the first place.)

scootyboy-2010 wrote:

I've always thought there should be some sort of AI functions that we could use in projects, not to make it just create the whole project for us, but use it for some of the examples below the text.

Any paragraphs or sentences in green are intended for the OP (original poster) to read. These paragraphs or sentences are likely to be of no use to anyone other than the OP.

This is a good idea, but there are a few things to consider.

1. Is it possible?


Software Type Development Cost Estimation Time Frame
Simple $50,000 to $90,000 3 to 6 Months
Medium Complex $100,000 to $200,000 7 to 9 Months
Most Complex $220,000 to $300,000 9+ Months

As you can see, this data shows that it is very expensive, and very time-consuming to make AI, even with the “simple” software type.
( I did not record the data, I have viewed it from a third-party website. The data seems quite plausible, and the website contains lots of information about creating AI. It seems as though the website's specialty is about creating AI. )


2. Moderation

As the AI (sort of) thinks for itself, it can create anything, as long as it fits the description that the user gave and is coded correctly.
How can it be moderated?


Something you could add to your post
AI can be used in games to create another player.

4. Hindering creativity

I am not assuming that all users will use AI to make projects for them, and allow them to sit back and be lazy while the code does everything for them, but there will always be some people who will use tech in the wrong way.

How can this be stopped?

A character limit in the

AI do [                          ]

blocks won't be helpful, as users can easily say something like “Make a platformer”, while other users might say something like, “Play my game with the user without going easy on them”. The latter's request might be blocked, with something like this

Your request is too long. Please don't break the AI Terms of Service

popping up. The former's request won't be, because it's short enough.

AI could be used to moderate the requests, with a statement like this:

Make sure that users' requests are not breaking these rules: _________________

However, can AI be used to moderate requests?


Overall, this is a really good idea in my opinion, but it seems like this idea would not be fully ready in quite some time.

This is a good idea! It may never happen due to third-party usage of ChatGPT costing money and so many people would be using it. But still it is a good idea and I hope to see it in the future. Maybe just implement a way for the AI to detect if the user is attempting to have their entire game made by the AI and suspend their AI usage for around one day or so.

iiucandyfloss wrote:

How can this be stopped?

A character limit in the

AI do [                          ]

I used “AI, do” as a bad example of using AI.