Sony is said to be in the process of integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into its PlayStation game characters. If confirmed, the multinational conglomerate will join other big names in the industry, including Nvidia and Microsoft, in this innovation.
According to a report from The Verge, an anonymous tipster leaked an internal video from Sony’s PlayStation group. The said video shows Horizon Forbidden West’s Aloy seemingly functioning through AI.
Based on the same report, Sony Interactive Entertainment Software Engineering Director Sharwin Raghoebardajal is seen narrating in the video. Raghoebardajal was said to be demonstrating how the development works by holding a conversation with the character through voice prompts.
In addition, AI-powered Aloy can be seen answering questions using a synthesized voice and facial movements. Raghoebardajal speaks with Aloy in the video, asking her how she is doing and something about her journey. Consequently, the character responds based on the Horizon game moments, Brett Byll of GameRant reports. The character was shown in a demo setting and the Horizon Forbidden West game.
A Synthesis of AI Innovations
Engineering Director Raghoebardajal stresses that the prototype was a collaboration with Guerrilla Games. Moreover, the developers of the technology integrated OpenAI’s whisper for speech-to-text. GPT-4 and Llama 3 enable its ability to make decisions and hold conversations. On the other hand, Sony uses its native Mockingbird technology and Emotional Voice Synthesis system for audio-to-face animation and speech generation, respectively.
The leak reveals that the demo runs on PC, but the tech company is also experimenting with running parts directly on PS5 consoles, says Raghoebardajal. While Sony shows hints of continued AI development in games, it seems the company is not ready for an official rollout.
Meanwhile, prior to this report, the leaked video was uploaded on YouTube, but a copyright claim from Muso caused the content to be removed. Â
