Sony Says AI is Helping PlayStation Studios, Not Replacing Developers

Sony has started speaking more openly about how AI is being used across PlayStation Studios, and based on the company’s latest comments, the focus seems to be on speeding up development rather than replacing the people making the games.

During a Q&A session following Sony’s latest financial results, executives from both Sony and PlayStation talked about the role AI technology is expected to play within the company going forward. The overall message was pretty consistent throughout the discussion. AI is being treated as a support tool for developers and creators, not as a substitute for them.

“Human creativity still has to be the core of game development,” said Sony President and CEO Hiroki Totoki.

According to him, AI is there to expand what creators can do, acting more as an amplifier for ideas rather than something that takes over the creative process entirely. The company described AI as a way to unlock new possibilities while still relying on artists, designers, and performers to shape the actual experiences players connect with.

On the PlayStation side, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hideaki Nishino shared a few examples of how first-party studios are already putting AI tools to use behind the scenes. A lot of the technology being discussed revolves around improving efficiency in areas that traditionally take large amounts of time and manual work. Teams are apparently using AI-assisted tools for repetitive workloads, software engineering support, quality assurance, 3D modeling, and animation work.

One example Nishino brought up was an internal tool called Mockingbird.

The technology uses machine learning to help animate 3D facial models based on performance capture data. Normally that kind of work would take hours of manual tweaking, but the AI-assisted process slashes that workload dramatically.

Studios like Naughty Dog and San Diego Studio have reportedly already adopted the tool, and Sony says it has even been used in released projects like Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered. Hair animation was another area highlighted during the discussion. Teams can now shoot real hairstyles and then use AI tools to generate detailed 3D strand models based on that data, Nishino said.

Instead of developers spending massive amounts of time manually building those assets piece by piece, the process becomes much faster and more manageable.

According to Sony, the goal is to free developers from time-consuming technical tasks so they can spend more time building richer worlds, gameplay systems, and overall player experiences. Sony also pointed to Gran Turismo 7’s AI driver, Sophie, as another example of how machine learning can create entirely new experiences inside games. That project has already shown how AI can be used directly in gameplay rather than just as a behind-the-scenes development tool.

One important detail from the conversation is that none of these examples appear to involve generative AI, which is the area that has caused the most concern across the entertainment industry. Sony’s comments focused more on machine learning tools that assist developers with production workflows instead of systems designed to generate full creative works on their own.

Nishino stressed that the emotional impact, artistic direction, and overall vision of PlayStation games will still come from the people making them. In Sony’s view, AI is supposed to enhance developer capabilities rather than replace the talent behind the games.

The company is also looking at AI beyond game development itself.

Nishino talked about plans for the PlayStation Store and how machine learning could eventually improve recommendations and personalization for users. Sony believes that as game development becomes faster and more accessible, players will end up with even more choices than they already have. Thus, recommendation systems are expected to have an increasingly important role to play in assisting players to discover games and services in line with their interests.

Sony says future AI systems tied to the PlayStation platform could potentially recommend not only games but specific moments of gameplay, subscriptions, accessories and even merchandise based on player behavior and preferences. The company described it as a more consumer-focused approach to personalization that continues evolving over time.

Sony also briefly mentioned improvements to PSSR, the AI upscaling technology being used for the PlayStation 5 Pro. The company says continued advancements there are helping improve both visuals and performance for supported games on the upgraded hardware.

Overall, none of this feels especially surprising considering how widespread AI tools have become across the gaming industry.

Almost every major studio is experimenting with some form of AI-assisted workflow right now. What stands out more in Sony’s case is the way the company is positioning the technology. Based on these comments, the current plan seems focused on streamlining development and reducing repetitive workloads while still keeping developers, artists, and performers at the core of the creative process.