PlayStation announces increased use of AI to speed up game development and reduce costs

In the current Corporate Report 2024, published on September 13, 2024, Sony presents its vision of an entertainment company that is adapted to social change and technological development. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are to play a central role in this - especially in the gaming sector.

Sony plans to integrate technologies such as real-time 3D processing and sensor technology into game development. The goal is to speed up processes and reduce costs without compromising on quality. As a current example, the report cites the production of Marvel's Spider-Man 2, in which speech recognition software was used to automatically synchronize subtitles with the character dialogues. This significantly shortens the development process.

Sony is also investing in the Volumetric Capture Studio, which captures 3D data of people and environments to generate images and 3D assets. This data is to be used across the company and possibly also sold externally. In collaboration with Epic Games, Sony is also experimenting with the Unreal Engine to reuse 3D components from music video production in video games.

The ethical controversy

The use of AI in game development undoubtedly holds great potential, but it frequently sparks fundamental ethical debates. A primary concern is the potential loss of jobs, while there are also fears that AI could stifle developers' creativity. Supporters seeit as an opportunity to eliminate repetitive tasks, allowing developers more freedom to focus on creative endeavors. On Reddit, a discussion has already broken out about Sony's announcement on the increased use of AI.