Sony’s PlayStation Studios Advanced Technology Group is developing AI technology that could allow players to have voice conversations with game characters, according to recent reports. The company has created a prototype featuring Aloy from the popular “Horizon” game series.
Sharwin Raghoebardajal, a director of software engineering at Sony Interactive Entertainment, has been leading the project. The technology demonstration shows an AI-powered version of Aloy responding to voice prompts during gameplay with synthesized speech and facial animations.
The prototype combines several AI technologies, including OpenAI’s whisper for speech-to-text conversion, and both GPT-4 and Llama 3 for conversation capabilities and decision making. Sony has implemented its own internal Emotional Voice Synthesis system for speech generation, while facial animations are powered by Sony’s proprietary Mockingbird technology.
While the demonstration was primarily shown running on PC hardware, Sony has reportedly tested components of this technology directly on PlayStation 5 consoles with “little overhead,” suggesting it could potentially be implemented in future games without significant performance impacts.
“This is just a glimpse of what is possible,” Raghoebardajal stated during the demonstration. Sony first showcased this technology internally about a year ago, with a more advanced version presented at the company’s Technology Exchange Fair in Tokyo last November.
The development raises questions about how such technology might be implemented in games where players control the character they would be speaking with, as well as potential implications for voice actors and game developers in the industry.
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