A developer and Minecraft enthusiast, known as Sammyuri, has unveiled an intriguing project on GitHub titled CraftGPT. This innovative endeavor showcases a remarkable application of Minecraft’s Redstone engineering, as Sammyuri, already recognized for constructing a 1Hz CPU within the game, has now developed a small language model that operates on a computer built entirely in Minecraft, utilizing the TinyChat dataset for training.
The CraftGPT project is an impressive structure, comprising 1,020 x 260 x 1,656 blocks, totaling a staggering 439 million blocks. While the model functions as intended, it does come with a significant usability challenge: users may find themselves waiting several hours for a response to their queries. A video accompanying the project illustrates the vast in-game computer that powers CraftGPT, with Sammyuri noting the necessity of the Distant Horizons mod to capture this aerial footage of the elaborate build.
The need for speed
CraftGPT, while a fascinating technical achievement, is not positioned to compete with mainstream chatbot applications. The limitations in chat quality, depth, and accuracy are evident, but the most notable drawback lies in its performance. Despite the marvel of a Minecraft Redstone-engineered processor, it cannot match the efficiency of real-world hardware. Sammyuri points out that the system typically requires about two hours to generate a response to a simple prompt, even with the tick rate boosted to approximately 40,000x speed via the Minecraft High Performance Redstone Server (MCHPRS).
In the realm of Minecraft, previous groundbreaking Redstone projects have included standalone 16-bit CPUs and the IRIS Computer, which astonishingly managed to run a version of DOOM (1993) within the game. CraftGPT, while not a direct competitor to existing chatbots, stands as a testament to the creativity and ingenuity of the Minecraft community, pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved within this virtual landscape.
