For those of you who are looking to the inevitable machine uprising and the enslavement/eradication of humanity that will follow, you will be happy to know that Sony has now thrown its hat into the ring of AI development. Joining the likes of Microsoft, Google, and Facebook, Sony has established an AI development division.
Sony AI (which is what it is called) is led by Hiroaki Kitano, Corporate Executive of Sony Corporation, with Peter Stone acting as his American counterpart.
What, you ask, does this have to do with video games, beyond a possible tenuous connection arising from the fact that Sony is a technology conglomerate that also happens to sell games? Well, Sony actually thinks the AI business it has established will be critical to enhancing the value of its gaming endeavours.
“Initially, [Sony AI] will launch three flagship projects in the areas of gaming, imaging & sensing, and gastronomy. The adoption of new AI technologies developed through these flagship projects will be critical to further enhancing the value of Sony’s gaming and sensor businesses in coming years. This research will be pursued in close collaboration with the relevant Sony Group business units,” the press release reads.
And that’s something that should really be self-evident. AI is at the heart of all games we play. NPCs in PvE, bots in PvP, dynamic environments and weather patterns, and so on and on. Games can play far better than they currently do with more sophisticated AI – and it is good to see Sony take the charge on this. Maybe it will also influence the PS5 hardware in some way or the other.