Sony assures that AI is only meant to 'augment' artists' capabilities instead of replacing them but it feels like a slippery slope

In its latest earnings call, Sony included a corporate strategy for the future of the brand, and as you might be able to expect from any figurehead talking to investors, there's a lot of talk about AI.

As noted by GamesIndustry.biz, Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki believes "AI will make it easier to take on more innovative and ambitious projects."

In games, it talks extensively about an in-house tool called 'Mockingbird' that animates 3D facial models based on performance captures and confirms that this tool was already used in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered.

Totoki says, "Importantly, we are not replacing human performers, but rather optimising how we process the data from these live captures."

Totoki also explains that an AI model is being used to animate hair, something that is traditionally very labour-intensive. Totoki claims, "These practical applications allow our teams to spend less time on manual, high-effort tasks and to instead reinvest their time into building richer worlds and gameplay for our players."

On richer worlds, it also details prototypes of NPCs with "their own personalities" that "can create a living, dynamic world for the player to explore."

"As AI capabilities evolve, the role of our creators will remain unchanged." Totoki continues, "AI is meant to augment their capabilities, not to replace them."

One could argue that making NPCs that feel like fine-tuned human beings with personalities is, in fact, a job for a creative, designer, and artist. Worlds have existed filled with unique NPCs before generative AI came along, so I'm not sure how further committing to it doesn't replace workers down the line.

Sony sees AI as a rather grand tool in its tool belt, arguing, "For our players, this will mean gaming experiences like never before—more immersion, more adventures, and fresh ways to enjoy their favourite characters."

It's easy to see why big-budget developers may be drawn to generative AI. Though former head honcho Shuhei Yoshida thinks companies should invest in smaller, experimental projects, that doesn't seem to be the vision for generative AI. AI is pitched as a productivity tool—a way to cut corners in development, but one has to wonder historically, how many games have found greatness in those corners? How many developers have played around with glitches or found new ways of doing things through repetition? How many, bored on a Friday afternoon, thought, 'Is that really what I want hair to look like in this game?' and came up with a new style.

Sony's output is already pretty formulaic, so consider me cautiously pessimistic that further committing to these tools will really help it get out of that creative rut. I suppose we'll have to wait for a few more financial earnings to see if the gambit pays off.