Sony says AI will help PlayStation studios make games faster

In short: Sony says it is using AI tools to speed up parts of PlayStation game development while keeping creative decisions in human hands.

What happened

Sony shared new details about its AI plans during an earnings presentation. The company called AI a “powerful tool,” but said the vision, design, and emotional impact of its games will still come from its studios and performers. Sony added that AI is meant to support people, not replace them.

Sony said its developers are using AI to automate repetitive work and move faster in areas like testing games for bugs, building 3D models, and making animations. One example is a tool Sony calls “Mockingbird.” It uses performance capture data, which is recorded acting that helps translate a real person’s movements and expressions into a digital character, like tracing over a video to guide an animation.

Sony said Mockingbird can help animate 3D facial models and finish work that used to take hours in “a fraction of a second.” Sony said studios including Naughty Dog (The Last of Us) and Santa Monica Studio (God of War) have used it. Sony said results from Mockingbird have appeared in games including Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, and stressed that it is not replacing human performers, but processing their captured performances more efficiently.

Sony also said it is working with Bandai Namco to explore how generative AI, which can create content from prompts (like asking a computer to draft a first version), could help in video production. Sony noted a key weakness: these systems can be hard to control and keep consistent.

Why it matters

If these tools work as promised, players could see games released sooner or updated more often, because some time-consuming tasks get done faster. But Sony’s comments also show the company is trying to reassure creators and fans who worry AI could replace people or change how games are made.

Source: The Verge AI