Sony is testing AI-driven PlayStation characters, beginning with a prototype of Aloy from Horizon Forbidden West.

An internal video obtained by The Verge showcases Aloy responding to voice prompts with AI-generated speech and facial animations in real time. Sony Interactive Entertainment developed this prototype with Guerrilla Games. Sharwin Raghoebardajal, Director of Software Engineering, demonstrated the project using OpenAI’s Whisper for speech-to-text, GPT-4 and Llama 3 for dialogue and decision-making, Sony’s Emotional Voice Synthesis (EVS) for voice generation, and Mockingbird for audio-to-face animation.

While the demo initially ran on PC, Raghoebardajal confirmed Sony successfully tested the technology on PlayStation 5 with minimal impact on performance. The company has been developing this technology for about a year, presenting an advanced version at the Sony Technology Exchange Fair (STEF) in Tokyo last November.

Sony has not announced any plans to publicly release AI-powered characters; the Aloy demo serves as an internal proof-of-concept. This development, however, raises important questions about AI's role in gaming, including the potential impact on voice acting, storytelling, and game design jobs.

Both Nvidia and Microsoft are also developing AI tools for NPCs and game prototyping. With the upcoming GDC 2025, Sony's exploration of AI-powered game characters is likely to fuel ongoing discussions about AI's future in game development.