animation system required us to solve a synchronisation problem that's rarely discussed in AI avatar development: matching lip movements to synthesised speech with near-perfect timing while simultaneously triggering appropriate emotional expressions based on what Sunny is saying.
We built a multi-layered animation system. Te base layer handles subtle movements, blinking and breathing animations that prevent the uncanny valley effect of a static avatar. Te second layer manages speech-driven animations using phoneme analysis to drive lip-sync. Te third layer handles emotional expressions, triggered by sentiment analysis of Sunny's generated text. Tese layers had to blend seamlessly in real-time, which required custom interpolation algorithms and careful animation authoring to ensure transitions felt natural rather than mechanical.
Te facial rigging alone involved over 50 blend shapes to capture the range of expressions we needed. We spent weeks fine-tuning the timing for each emotion. How quickly should surprise register? How long should excitement linger? How does disappointment transition back to neutral encouragement? Tese tiny decisions, individually small, collectively determine whether the avatar feels alive or artificial.
MEMORY THAT MATTERS
Te result is a blackjack dealer that combines the speed of RNG blackjack with the interactivity of live-dealer. But unlike traditional live-dealer, Sunny becomes your very own personal dealer. She remembers your name and welcomes you back the next day. She remembers your play history and can offer guidance on how to play. Most importantly, she's consistently engaging and fun.
Te memory system represents another technical frontier we had to navigate. Sunny maintains a player profile that persists across sessions, but this isn't simple data storage. Te system has to intelligently summarise and prioritise information. After hundreds of hands, Sunny can't reference every previous session because that would create context windows beyond what's computationally feasible.
Instead, we implemented a memory consolidation system inspired by how human memory works. Recent interactions are stored in high detail. Older sessions are progressively compressed into summary
statistics and notable moments. Sunny remembers that you prefer aggressive play, that you once hit blackjack three times in a row, and that you asked about side bets. But she doesn't maintain a complete transcript of every hand you've ever played.
Tis personalisation extends to how she offers advice. Sunny learns your skill level and adjusts her guidance accordingly. New players receive more frequent strategic suggestions. Experienced players get commentary that respects their knowledge while still adding value. Te system tracks which advice you follow and which you ignore, using this to calibrate future suggestions. It's essentially a recommendation engine, but tuned for next-best comment rather than next-best action.
WHAT COMES NEXT
Long term, we see this opening up AI dealers to every and any casino game. With AI companions, there's no reason to play any casino game alone.
Te technical foundation we've built with Sunny is game-agnostic. Te core challenges we solved apply across all casino games. Roulette presents different strategic considerations but similar conversational dynamics. Game shows require higher entertainment value but leverage the same underlying systems. We're already prototyping Sunny variants for different game types, each with personality adjustments appropriate to the gameplay rhythm.
Te broader implications extend beyond casino gaming. We've solved fundamental problems in real-time AI interaction: maintaining personality coherence across thousands of interactions, preventing repetitive behaviour in constrained contexts, achieving sub-second response times, and creating emotional resonance through animation. Tese capabilities open possibilities for AI companions in adjacent entertainment spaces and potentially in practical applications where human attention is the limiting factor.
Sunny represents proof that AI can deliver enhanced entertainment experiences, not just efficiency improvements. Te technical complexity required to achieve natural, engaging, persistent interaction shouldn't be understated. Tis is cutting-edge engineering at the intersection of language models, game design, animation, and user experience. But the result validates the effort: a dealer who's reliably fun!
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