Sony unveils AI trained to beat the world’s best Gran Turismo drivers

Sony has unveiled an artificial intelligence program (API) capable of beating the world’s best video game racing drivers.

Led by Sony AI, the development of GT Sophy was completed in conjunction with Polyphony Digital and Sony Interactive Entertainment to assist with access to Gran Turismo Sport, its APIs and the world-leading racing community.

As the “first superhuman AI agent”, GT Sophy is said to be capable of outracing 95 per cent of human players after two days, with further improvements to lap times in the following week.

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Sony AI claims GT Sophy has been trained to master vehicle control, racing tactics and etiquette to ensure it can complete high-level driving skills with top sportsmanship, avoiding at-fault collisions and respecting the driving line of opponents.

To train GT Sophy, the companies utilised a method referred to as reinforcement training. Fed information from multiple Gran Turismo titles, the AI was created to maximise fast lap time rewards and minimise penalties for collisions, essentially allowing it to master the game.

However, in a video explaining the process, the team of Sony engineers – led by Peter Wurman, director of Sony AI America – speak on the need to carefully fine-tune the ‘reward program’ to ensure the AI wouldn’t develop an aggressive racing style.

“Gran Turismo Sophy is a significant development in AI whose purpose is not simply to be better than human players, but to offer players a stimulating opponent that can accelerate and elevate the players’ techniques and creativity to the next level,” said Hiroaki Kitano, CEO of Sony AI.

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“In addition to making contributions to the gaming community, we believe this breakthrough presents new opportunities in areas such as autonomous racing and driving, high-speed robotics and control.”

Sony also concedes GT Sophy still has plenty to learn. For instance, when driving on a long straight, the AI will overtake at the first opportunity, which can lead to an opponent taking advantage of GT Sophy’s slipstream to pass back.

According to Sony, it is currently working on integrating GT Sophy into future Gran Turismo games, but no information was provided on when this might occur.