'Not a Replacement for Artists or Creators': PlayStation Reveals AI Use, Says Studios Like Naughty Dog Already Working With Tools

Sony has detailed its strategy for using AI tools in game development, while stating that "human creativity must remain at the center" of PlayStation's creative efforts. Speaking today during an investor-focused results presentation, via Variety, Sony boss Totoki Hiroki dubbed AI as "a powerful tool, but not a replacement for artists or creators," while detailing how AI was being used within PlayStation's studios. One example of this is Mockingbird, an AI-powered tool that generates character animation from facial gestures recorded during performance capture. The Last of Us developer Naughty Dog and MLB The Show maker San Diego Studio were already using these kinds of tools, PlayStation boss Hideaki Nishino said. Separately, Nishino discussed how Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered had used another AI tool to model the hair of main character Aloy. Video footage of real-world hairstyles was converted into a detailed 3D model using the tool, slashing the time it would have taken to build such models by hand. Nishino also mentioned the use of AI to improve PS5 Pro visual fidelity, via the console's well-documented PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) technology, which allows for bett