"Zero Harm in Comms" is a new project from Riot and Ubisoft that plans to "fight disruptive behavior"

Riot Games has teamed up with Ubisoft for a new research project called "Zero Harm in Comms".

Aimed at detecting harmful content in-game chats, the partnership believes it to be the "first cross-industry research initiative to fight disruptive behavior", calling it a "technological partnership to enhance the reach of their artificial intelligence-based solutions in order to prevent harmful player interactions". 

Whilst "at an early stage", both Ubisoft and Riot Games hope that it will benefit the entire player community, not least because the project plans to share the "learning of the initial phase of the experiment with the whole industry next year", "no matter the outcome".

"This research initiative aims to create a cross-industry shared database and labelling ecosystem that gathers in-game data, which will better train AI-based pre-emptive moderation tools to detect and mitigate disruptive behaviour," a press release explains.

"Ubisoft and Riot Games firmly believe that the creation of safe and meaningful online experiences in games can only come through collective action and knowledge sharing. As such, this initiative is a continuation of both companies’ bigger journey of creating gaming structures that foster more rewarding social experiences and avoid harmful interactions."

“Disruptive behaviour isn’t a problem that is unique to games - every company that has an online social platform is working to address this challenging space. That is why we’re committed to working with industry partners like Ubisoft who believe in creating safe communities and fostering positive experiences in online spaces,” said Wesley Kerr, head of technology research at Riot Games. 

"This project is just an example of the wider commitment and work that we’re doing across Riot to develop systems that create healthy, safe, and inclusive interactions with our games."

ICYMI, Warzone 2 has introduced proximity chat as an option. There's even a playlist called Unhinged BR Trios built around proximity chat. And although Warzone 2 has been live for just a few days at this point, we're already seeing proximity chat produce some highly entertaining clips. 

For the uninitiated, proximity chat lets you talk to other players within your vicinity even if they aren't in your party. The feature lets you communicate with members of your team without having to squad up, but it also lets you be a merciless troll, which is basically the unspoken purpose of proximity chat. 

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