Sony Teases ‘Breakthrough’ Gran Turismo AI Project

Sony AI has teased a “breakthrough” project in collaboration with Gran Turismo developer Polyphony Digital. Sony AI, which was established in 2020 to “accelerate the fundamental research and development of AI,” will reveal the project tomorrow, February 9th. A brief ‘Race Together’ teaser was revealed to hold us over until then.

COMING SOON

On 2/9, our team is excited to launch our Gaming Flagship and announce a breakthrough project in #AI created through a collab with Polyphony Digital Inc. (PDI) and @Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE). Enjoy this sneak peek. https://t.co/XlHvBQuu1Q

— Sony AI (@SonyAI_global) February 7, 2022

Sony previously published an AI study using Gran Turismo

In November 2021, GT Planet reported that Sony AI and Polyphony Digital published an in-depth study about teaching AI to race like humans and go as fast as possible based on physical interactions with the environment. This includes learning what slows drivers down and causes collisions. Apparently, this was the second study of its kind. Titled ‘Expert Human-Level Driving in Gran Turismo Sport Using Deep Reinforcement Learning with Image-based Representation,’ the study was conducted by a team of Sony AI professionals and an intern working for the company at the time, and can be read here.

Opinion: Sony AI’s ‘gaming flagship’ has me intrigued

Zarmena writes… At first, I thought this collaboration is probably just a Gran Turismo AI project, but the words “gaming flagship” stick out. When establishing Sony AI, the company said that it believes in AI that “empowers the imagination and creativity of artists, makers and creators around the world” and “particularly in the realm of entertainment.” This hints at a groundbreaking evolution of AI in the games industry and I look forward to it.

In other news, GTA V has sold more than the entire Assassin’s Creed franchise, and Sony’s keen on funding Haven Studios’ projects.