Gran Turismo 7 is set to get some groundbreaking AI
Gran Turismo 7 is set to get some groundbreaking AI Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Gran Turismo 7 is set to get some groundbreaking AI Introducing Gran Turismo Sophy. News by Martin Robinson Editor-in-chief Updated on 9 Feb 2022 57 comments With the release of Gran Turismo 7 racing ever nearer, the latest feature for Polyphony Digital's game has been unveviled - and while it won't be ready for launch, it could be one of the more interesting innovations in the PlayStation exclusive. Dubbed Gran Turismo Sophy, the feature is the first fruit from Sony AI, a division set up in 2020 to help Sony 'accelerate into an AI powered creative entertainment company' in the words of CEO Kenichiro Yoshida. Developed in partnership with Polyphony Digital and Sony Interactive Entertainment's cloud gaming team, Sophy is being positioned as a breakthrough in AI development. Sophy draws upon both a neural and distributed training network implemented through Sony's cloud gaming infrastructure, with reinforcement learning built around three core skills: staying on track, driving without losing control and overtaking opponents while learning etiquette. Watch on YouTube Sophy's been learning via Gran Turismo Sport, and has evolved through match-ups with some of Gran Turismo Sport's best drivers. A live demo race took place during today's presentation, showing an AI opponent that was not only able to race wheel to wheel against Gran Turismo Sport's finest but also showed smart positioning and race etiquette in the three lap sprint. Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi was enjoyably lofty in his summation of the project. "We are pursuing beauty, and we want a positive effect on society like a bright light shining," Yamauchi said during the presentation. "What kind of AI can we design so it can give joy to people - it has to drive fast, and it has to drive simple. The AI agent always has to handle the various environments, and it has to appear natural. With conventional rule-based AI, this could not be done - it would only react to a certain condition and follow the same rules, so people could detect it's a machine and not a human. With Gran Turismo Sophy, we've made a breakthrough. Today's presentation had some beautiful Kazisms from the Gran Turismo creator. 'It led us to think what is a human being. I've been thinking a lot about this question - what is a human being? We've been hosting these competitions, and we've thought what is competition? What is sports?' Yamuchi went on to say that Sophy will be able to coach drivers while also learning racing etiquette from them, detailing how he wants Sophy to be a companion to Gran Turismo 7 players as well as a competitor. It's exciting stuff, but don't expect to go up against Sophy just yet as it's set to appear in a future Gran Turismo 7 update coming at an as-yet-undisclosed date. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Overwatch 2 suffers another DDoS attack and character roster bugs Mei Mei. 7 Nintendo Switch firmware update lets you take screenshots in the Switch Online app The app on your console, not your phone. 7 Latest Articles Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Jelly Deals Logitech's G Pro X gaming headset is its lowest-ever price during Amazon's Early Access sale Prime Members can get it for just £52. Jelly Deals Save over £500 off the retail price on this beefy ASUS TUF Dash gaming laptop from Amazon Under £1080 for an RTX 3070 laptop. Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store