Leaked video shows PlayStation toying with Aloy from Horizon as an AI chatbot

Sony is currently exploring the use of AI-powered characters that can interact directly with players using OpenAI and Chat-GPT technology to engage in conversations. Leaked footage reviewed by the Verge reveals that the video showcases the popular character Aloy from the Horizon games, responding to questions with a synthesized AI voice and facial expressions. However, Sony’s copyright enforcement team swiftly removed the video from YouTube, but alternative ways to view it exist.

The footage can still be found on Streamable, where viewers can witness the Aloybot in action starting at the three-minute mark. The demonstration includes Aloy answering questions about herself and the game world, responding to various inquiries about enemies, time, weapons, and more. The presentation is delivered by Sharwin Raghoebardajal, a software engineer from Sony’s PlayStation Studios Advanced Technology Group, who emphasizes that this is a prototype operating within a specialized build of Horizon Forbidden West, developed in collaboration with Guerilla Games.

The technology behind this innovation combines AI, sound, and animation tools. It utilizes OpenAI’s Whisper for speech-to-text generation, followed by the language models GPT-4 and Llama 3, along with Sony’s voice synthesis and face animation technology. The end result includes robotic yet accurate facial movements and a somewhat unsettling synthesized voice. Raghoebardajal clarifies that this is just a glimpse of the possibilities.

Following the publication of the Verge’s article on AI-loy, the video was removed due to a copyright claim from Muso, a copyright enforcement company representing Sony. Despite the setback, the potential of AI in gaming is highlighted through this innovative development.

For those unfamiliar with the Horizon games, they are open-world action adventures set in a post-apocalyptic world where human tribes strive to survive in the aftermath of a collapse caused by artificial intelligence.