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Valve is using AI to detect Counter-Strike cheaters

They're learning.

In the battle against Counter-Strike cheaters, Valve has enlisted the help of an unusual source: AI.

This is how it begins.

In a post on Reddit, the company said it wants to take a machine-learning approach to detect cheaters in its hugely popular competitive shooter.

The post was sparked by one user who suggested a hard-coded method of detecting spinbotters. A spinbot is a hack that gives the user a 360 degree field of view, allowing them to aimbot players who approach from behind. From the user's perspective the screen is normal, but server side the spinbotter is spinning.

This is a big problem for online shooters and Counter-Strike, and it's one Valve has so far struggled with.

Enter AI, or machine-learning. Here's the post:

Valve said it's already started using AI to detect spinbotters, with an early version of the system deployed and submitting cases. The results have been promising, apparently, so Valve is seeing where it goes.

Hopefully not too far, eh?

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