In games "AI" is the term for the system that controls the behavior of NPCs and other non-controlled entities.
It's not claiming to be "academic AI".
Games have been using this terminology for decades.
It's not claiming to be "academic AI".
Games have been using this terminology for decades.
People simply have no clue what AI actually means and think it is only about sci-fi robots and ML.
My stronger claim is that this falls so squarely within the bounds of "game AI" that it's fairly ludicrous to say it's not AI.