Sony AI and Polyphony Digital have announced the first global release of Gran Turismo Sophy, Sony AI’s AI racing agent, in Gran Turismo 7 for the PS5 console. The companies stated that the partnership between Sony AI and PDI has managed to transform a research project into a commercial product in only one year.
The press release shared that a new game mode will be launched on 21 February, which will act as a first look at GT Sophy in Gran Turismo 7 and is designed to maximize the fun and excitement of racing against GT Sophy.
Sony AI’s Chief Operating Officer, Michael Spranger, commented:
“From the beginning, Gran Turismo Sophy was always about more than just being superhuman; we aspired to create an AI agent that would enhance the experience of players of all levels and to make this experience available to everyone. We have now accomplished this with GT Sophy Race Together mode.
“This signifies a major milestone for our organization and our mission to unleash human imagination and creativity with AI. We look forward to continuing our work on GT Sophy and other gaming AI projects in the future.”
Kazunori Yamauchi, President of Polyphony Digital, added:
“This evolution of AI is a symbolic moment across the 25-year history of Gran Turismo, and it’s as important as the evolution of the automotive physics simulation, which is at the heart and core of a racing game. Unlike the conventional built-in AI, GT Sophy drives with continuity in a large variety of situations, which allows users to enjoy the excitement of a close battle as if they are playing against a professional racing driver.
“This is an important evolution, even from the standpoint of racing game history. We will continue to evolve GT Sophy to realize our concept of “Race Together,” where we envision providing a fun opponent for players to race against and learn from.”
GT Sophy is described as the first superhuman AI agent to outrace the world’s best drivers of the highly realistic racing simulation game, GT Sport.
