PETA Releases VR AI Game When They Came For Us

The animal rights organisation PETA announces the release of a VR game advocating for animal rights – based on generative AI. When They Came For Us is playable on Meta Quest 2 & 3. When asked by GamesMarkt, the organisation also commented on the consumption of ressources of AI and its use for environmental protection.

Animal rights organisation PETA has released a VR game for Meta Quest 2 & 3 that wants to put humans in the shoes of animals. When They Came For Us takes place in a hypothetical scenario where aliens invade the earth and humans have to advocate for their own rights. The game is voice-controlled, the player’s inputs and the answers of the aliens are processed with ChatGPT 4o.

"With our immersive role-playing game, we want to encourage people to think about how we treat animals and learn about the vegan lifestyle as an easy way to make positive changes," says Christian Coslar, Head of Marketing and Creative at PETA Deutschland e.V. "We can hardly imagine the suffering that sentient beings are exposed to every day in the animal industry. That's why we used VR and AI to bring a comparable situation to life for people. The only difference is that the users remain unharmed - unlike the billions of animals worldwide, for whom the circumstances shown are not a game, but bitter reality."

The technology agency Demodern is behind the concept and realisation. PETA and Demodern had already realised Eye to Eye together in 2018.

"The combination of VR and AI technology creates an intense immersive social simulation. A personal, empathetic experience that encourages players to think and reflect," says Alexander El-Meligi, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Demodern. 'When They Came For Us' is our first project in which we use AI extensively. The application impressively demonstrates the possibilities that the AI-supported use of characters opens up for companies and brands - as an innovation and technology agency, we want to play an active role in shaping this trend."

It might seem contradictory to use generative AI for the purposes of environmental action, since the content generators need huge amounts of natural ressources for each query. When asked by GamesMarkt, Christian Coslar, Head of Marketing and Creative at PETA Deutschland e.V. says: "Unfortunately, using technology always means consuming resources. We should therefore take a close look at what the technology in question is being used for. After all, AI can also help to save energy and resources. If our experience inspires people to go vegan, their carbon footprint will ultimately improve. After all, the animal industry is responsible for up to 20 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions - more than the entire transport sector."