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After months of testing, Sony AI and Polyphony Digital have announced the global release of Gran Turismo Sophy 2.0, an innovative AI racing agent in the popular Gran Turismo 7 (GT7) PlayStation racing simulation game. This release is a significant milestone in the realm of AI-driven gaming experiences, allowing AI to challenge both average players and top virtual drivers, according to Michael Spranger, president of Sony AI, in an interview with GamesBeat.
Gran Turismo Sophy 2.0 is an update that specifically caters to players with a PlayStation 5 console, part of the GT7 Spec II Update (Patch Update 1.40). This feature allows players of all skill levels to compete against an autonomous AI agent. Unlike its initial limited-time release, GT Sophy can now handle over 340 cars on nine different tracks, covering 95% of player car models.
Starting November 1 at 11 p.m. Pacific time, players can experience the excitement of racing against GT Sophy 2.0 in the Quick Race mode. The selection of GT Sophy’s cars is automatic, based on the player’s choice from their garage.
The journey of GT Sophy began as a research project aimed at creating a superhuman AI agent capable of outperforming the world’s top drivers in Gran Turismo Sport. This initial achievement showcased the potential of AI to bring thrilling gaming experiences to elite players. However, Sony AI recognized the need to balance GT Sophy’s capabilities to offer a dynamic experience for all GT players while maintaining the game’s hyper-realism.
GT Sophy 2.0 AI is now available worldwide to race against human drivers in Gran Turismo. Spranger stated, “We have evolved GT Sophy from a research project tackling the grand challenge of creating an AI agent that could outperform top drivers in a top simulation racing game, to a functional game feature that provides all game players a formidable, human-like opponent that enhances the overall racing experience.”
The earlier release of GT Sophy allowed Sony AI to gather valuable feedback from players worldwide. This feedback guided the integration of GT Sophy as a permanent feature in the game, meeting players’ desires for a version suitable for all skill levels. GT Sophy 2.0 now offers a wider range of behaviors to create unique racing experiences for every player.
Kazunori Yamauchi, president of Polyphony Digital, expressed his satisfaction with the achievement, stating, “GT Sophy is a revolutionary new technology that will change the way players experience racing games. It is a key element in keeping Gran Turismo exciting beyond its 25-year history. We are very satisfied with this achievement and am looking forward to seeing GT Sophy evolve even further in the future.”
In an interview with Pierre Herubel, head of Polyphony Digital, he revealed that the AI has become highly competitive when racing against the best human drivers. He mentioned that human drivers are beginning to learn from the AI, which debuted as AI racing agent GT Sophy in February 2023. However, the winner of the Porsche Esports Challenge USA tournament, Randall Haywood, remains convinced that AI won’t surpass human drivers. He stated that he can easily beat the AI racing agent and believes the best competitors are still human drivers.
The development of GT Sophy was featured in a three-part documentary series, “The Team Behind GT Sophy,” which received recognition at the 22nd Tribeca Festival’s Tribeca X Competition in 2023. These films provide an inside look at the development process and the achievements of the GT Sophy team.
Sony AI aims to leverage the power of AI to enhance human imagination and creativity. With flagship projects in gaming, imaging & sensing, gastronomy, and AI ethics, Sony AI is committed to advancing AI technology and transforming Sony into an AI-powered company. Peter Wurman, director of Sony AI America and project lead on GT Sophy, stated that the aim was to make the GT Sophy experience enjoyable for a variety of players, rather than solely focusing on AI vs. human competition. The team is still learning from the data generated by humans racing against the AI and continues to explore new possibilities for research.
Gran Turismo Sophy 2.0 is an exciting development that showcases the potential of AI in gaming, and its release opens up new possibilities for players to enhance their racing skills and experiences.
