If you watch this, it may underwhelm you. But at the core of this simple narrative – SL’s CrispyNoodle Nowicka switches a gun from one briefcase to another in front of a dull gray robot avatar – is a significant advancement in Artificial Intelligence (AI.)

Researchers at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., have begun to use Second Life as a training ground for AI research. Edd Hifeng – the robot in the video – is a creation of AI, and he benefits from SL because, as the Associated Press writes, “it’s a controllable environment where testing intelligent creations is easier.”

In the video, what is remarkable is that Edd is able to infer something from the incident (that the person who left the room would not know that a switch has been made.) Remember, this is not a human inferring this, but an entirely artificial creature.

Researchers have been trying to push the AI envelope forever, but the virtual world of SL provides some distinct advantages, says Selmer Bringsjord, director of the Rensselaer Artificial Intelligence and Reasoning Laboratory. He cited the fact that SL is inexpensive, even if they use workstations rather than SL servers. It provides the advantage over RL in that things are tightly controlled, and random accidents – broken robot parts, say – are negated. It also allows AI researchers to scale up to a virtual human, which takes the pressure off from having make one sooner rather than later.

“It’s a fantastic sweet spot,” said Bringsjord of the SL platform, “not too simple, not too complicated, high cultural value.”

AI research in SL comes with the blessing of Linden Labs, according to the AP. John Lester, operations manager of Linden Lab, calls the research ‘fascinating.’

“I think the real future for this is when people take these AI-controlled avatars and let them free in ‘Second Life,’” Lester said, ” … let them randomly walk the grid.”