Sony has unveiled GT Sophy, an artificial intelligence capable of defeating the world’s top players in the Gran Turismo racing simulator.
Hi there 👋 we’d like to share our latest step in innovation with you…
Meet @TheGranTurismo Sophy, a superhuman racing AI agent developed in collaboration across Sony to specifically to deliver a breakthrough gaming experience: https://t.co/gai90dxvZv pic.twitter.com/827g4P45BT
— Sony (@Sony) February 9, 2022
According to the creators, the AI surpasses algorithms developed for chess and Go, as well as AlphaStar and OpenAI Five, designed for StarCraft II and DOTA 2 respectively.
Researchers trained the GT Sophy agent to drive a digital car, accounting for the physics and capabilities of the machine. The algorithm also learned racing techniques such as drifting, overtaking and blocking, following the track’s unwritten etiquette.
To create GT Sophy, engineers used deep reinforcement learning. The algorithm was placed in an environment where it, within a few hours, learned the game’s rules on its own, and after \”a day or two\” was able to drive faster than 95% of drivers in the training set.
The developers also designed a reward system. For example, they fine-tuned penalties for the AI for collisions with other cars. This helped cultivate an aggressive driving style in the agent without intimidating other racers.
Training of the algorithm took place on the DART cloud platform developed by Sony AI. The laboratory team used more than a thousand PlayStation 4 consoles.
The AI agent went on to beat some of the world’s best Gran Turismo Sport players. In July 2021, the algorithm lost to racer Takuma Miyazono, and to three other leading players. Three months later, in a rematch, the AI defeated the humans.
In a team race, the algorithm outscored the human players twofold.
Hiroaki Kitano, CEO of Sony AI, said GT Sophy represents a significant milestone in artificial intelligence.
“In addition to contributing to the gaming community, we believe this breakthrough opens up new opportunities in areas such as autonomous racing, autonomous driving, high-speed robotics and control,” he said.
The developers plan to add the algorithm to other Gran Turismo games. Players may obtain Sophy as a driving coach or a racing partner.
GT Sophy is the result of a collaboration between Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), the Gran Turismo Polyphony Digital (PDI) developer, and Sony AI’s innovation laboratory.
In April 2021, Sony patented AI, which plays video games instead of a user.
In July that year, the FIFA 22 developers reported using machine learning to create realistic footballer animations.
In the same month, an AI enthusiast used neural networks to copy a working fragment of GTA V.
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