Sony demos AI-powered PlayStation character
Sony is exploring AI-driven game characters, showcasing a prototype featuring Aloy from Horizon Forbidden West. An internal video, shared with The Verge by an anonymous tipster, demonstrated Aloy engaging in voice-prompted conversations with a player. The video was subsequently removed from YouTube following a copyright claim from Muso, a firm that lists Sony Interactive Entertainment as a client.
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The video, narrated by Sharwin Raghoebardajal of Sony’s PlayStation Studios Advanced Technology Group, depicted Aloy responding to user queries with AI-synthesized voice and facial expressions, both in a demo and within the actual game.
Raghoebardajal clarified that this is a prototype, developed with Guerrilla Games, for internal demonstration purposes.
The technology leverages OpenAI’s Whisper for speech-to-text, GPT-4 and Llama 3 for conversation and decision-making, Sony’s Emotional Voice Synthesis (EVS) for speech generation, and Mockingbird for audio-to-face animation.
While demonstrated on PC, Sony has also tested the technology on PS5 with “little overhead.” The prototype was first shown internally a year ago, with a more advanced version presented at Sony’s Technology Exchange Fair in Tokyo.
“This is just a glimpse of what is possible,” Raghoebardajal stated. However, the demo raises questions about the practical application of conversational AI within gameplay and its potential impact on voice actors and developers.
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Sony’s work mirrors similar efforts by Nvidia, which is developing AI-powered NPCs through its Ace technology, and Microsoft, which is collaborating with Inworld AI to integrate AI characters into Xbox games. Microsoft has also developed Muse, an AI model for game environment creation.
Concerns about AI’s impact on game development are growing, particularly amid industry layoffs. A recent Game Developers Conference survey revealed that 49% of respondents use generative AI tools in their workplace.
Sony’s AI experiments are expected to fuel further discussion about AI’s role in gaming, especially leading up to the Game Developers Conference. Sony did not respond to requests for comment regarding the leaked video.
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