Developments in the realm of artificial intelligence (AI) continue to shape the future of video gaming as Sony hinted at the possibility of integrating AI-powered characters in its PlayStation platform. This speculation stems from an internal video leak that showed a gaming experiment involving a beloved character, Aloy, from the Horizon series.
The internal video was attributed to PlayStation Studios’ advanced technology group, as it featured AI-driven characters using Aloy as an illustrative example. The video’s removal from YouTube due to a copyright claim further validates its authenticity. The claim was made by Muso, an online enforcement firm known to have Sony Interactive Entertainment among its clientele.
In the leaked video, Aloy, powered by AI, engages in a fluid conversation with Sharwin Raghoebardajal, Sony Interactive Entertainment’s director of software engineering. The discussion is facilitated by voice prompts, AI-generated speech, and facial animations. The voice-activated AI technology, known as Whisper by OpenAI, was employed for speech-to-text conversion. On the other hand, the dialogue and decisions attributed to Aloy were generated through GPT-4 and Llama 3. Meanwhile, Sony’s Emotional Voice Synthesis (EVS) system accomplished speech synthesis, and Sony’s Mockingbird technology was behind the facial animations.
During the tech demonstration, Raghoebardajal inquires about Aloy’s wellbeing, and the AI-controlled character answers: “Hello, I’m managing alright. Just dealing with a sore throat. How have you been?” Interestingly, the computerized voice that accompanies Aloy’s dialogue sounds different from that of Ashly Burch, the voice actor renowned for playing the PlayStation character. The speech resembles standard text-to-speech narration typically used in social media content.
While Aloy’s AI-driven facial movements appear somewhat rigid, her responses to questions about being a clone and her search for her mother nevertheless feel natural. The video segues into the Horizon Forbidden West game world, where Raghoebardajal continues his engagement with the AI-driven character, a unique yet somewhat ironic choice given Aloy’s storyline in the Horizon series.
The footage represents prototype technology developed in collaboration with Horizon’s studio Guerrilla Games for an internal demonstration at Sony. While it definitely symbolizes Sony’s significant investments in AI technologies for PlayStation games, it does not necessarily indicate any immediate plans for public-facing products or its applicability to PS5 games. However, considering the growing interest in AI technology across the gaming industry, this venture from Sony isn’t entirely unexpected.
Many of Sony’s competitors, including Microsoft, are heavily invested in AI. Recently, Microsoft revealed its AI Muse, intended to stimulate game design ideas. AI continues to be a hot topic in the gaming and entertainment industries, sparking debates over ethical issues, rights challenges, and quality concerns.
An experimental game developed entirely by AI failed to achieve success, highlighting the current limitations in replacing human creativity with AI. Despite these challenges, industry giants like EA have emphasized that AI forms the heart of their business strategy. Capcom has also divulged its intent to experiment with AI for generating myriads of ideas essential for game environment designs.
The significance of employing AI in video gaming resonates particularly with Gen Z and Gen Alpha gamers who prefer personalized experiences. According to Asad Qizilbash, head of PlayStation Productions and head of product at PlayStation Studios, non-player characters utilized in games could interact with players based on their actions, creating a more individualized gaming atmosphere.
Despite the controversies, prominent entities like Activision confirmed the utilization of AI for assets in some of their games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, thus reinforcing the importance of AI within the industry.
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