Sony admits to using artificial intelligence for PlayStation games. Is it the end of creativity?

“Moćan tool” to improve development

During a recent corporate strategy presentation, Chairman and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), Hideaki Nishinopresented a plan that includes the use of artificial intelligence to improve productivity in game development.

​- At PlayStation, our goal is always to be the best place to play and the best place to release. We see AI as a powerful tool that will help us in that mission – said Nishino.

The key message from Sony is that artificial intelligence should serve as a support, not a substitute for human creativity. A similar view was expressed by the president of Sony Group, Hiroki Totokiwho emphasized that “human creativity must remain at the center”.

​- The vision, design and emotional impact of our games will always come from the talent of our studios and performers. AI is meant to augment their capabilities, not replace them, Nishino added.

Concrete examples of moreć in use

PlayStation studios moreć they use AI-based tools to automate repetitive tasks and speed up processes like quality assurance. One such tool is an internal system called “Mockingbird”, which significantly speeds up the facial animation process. According to Sony, work that used to take hours can now be done in “splits of seconds”. This technology moreć were used by studios like Naughty Dog, and it was also used in the game Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered.

Another example is an AI tool that creates detailed three-dimensional hair models based on videos, solving one of the most technically demanding tasks in modern game development.

Concerns about games and comparison with Nvidia

Despiteč Despite Sony’s assurances, part of the community remains skeptical. The announcement reminded many of the controversy surrounding Nvidia’s DLSS 5 technology, which many described as a generative AI filter for games. Although the CEO of Nvidia, Jensen Huang, claimed that the games are “completely wrong” and that it is “content-controlled generative artificial intelligence”, many believe that such technology changes the details of the characters and the environment, deviating from the original vision of the artist.

As reported by TechRadar, it is precisely this fear of loss of authenticity that worries gamers in the case of the PlayStation. Although Sony does not currently have an equivalent to DLSS 5, the very presence of artificial intelligence in development opens the door to the possibility of its use extending to the generation of content within the games themselves. Such an approach moreć is applied by Activision in its Call of Duty games, which is not well received among gamers.

AI as a wider trend in the industry

Sony is not the only company turning to artificial intelligence. Ubisoft, Electronic Arts and Square Enix also apply it in various aspects, from generating dialogue for secondary characters to animations. On the other hand, there are those who oppose such an approach, such as the founder of the Larian studio, known for the hit Baldur’s Gate 3, who expressed strong opposition to the use of generative artificial intelligence.

Sony’s interest in AI is not recent. The company moreć has been researching its application for years, and has also patented the “AI Generated Ghost Player” system, which could help players solve difficult parts of the game by having the AI ​​take control and show the solution. In addition to development, AI is also used to improve the resolution enhancement technology on the PS5 Pro console, known as PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution).