Sonymade waves this week, as a report from The Verge has revealed that the company is working on AI chat bots. Since AI is a huge topic at the moment, it’s no surprise that the company is experimenting with the technology, but what is shocking is the use ofHorizon’s Aloy has a demo character. TheHorizonfranchise may be a newerSonyIP when looking at the company’s long history, but it has been quite prevalent in gaming since its 2017 debut withHorizon Zero Dawn.
An anonymous insider sharedSony’s internal AI chat model testswith The Verge, giving a peek into what it could entail for players. Since then, the video has since been removed from YouTube due to copyright issues, but the news itself has already spread across the internet. With Aloy being a prominent face in the newer generation of Sony exclusives, the use of her is somewhat understandable. However, it’s also incredibly confusing, since this is also in direct conflict with the entire premise of theHorizonfranchise.
Sony’s AI Chat Model Test Turns Alot Into Her Own Worst Enemy
The Horizon Franchise’s Lore Centers Around AI
The general plot ofHorizonis essentially a warning about the dangers of unchecked AI, which makes Aloy’s usage in Sony’s tech demon that much more mind-boggling. There is a large roster of exclusive Sony characters that could have been picked for this specific tech demo. Kratos, Astro Bot, Ratchet & Clank, or even Spider-Man could have been used, but Aloy’s presence adds a hint of creepiness to the now-deleted video. Granted, Sony has been reallypushing theHorizonfranchisethrough a series of planned spin-offs and a live-action movie adaptation, so this could be an extension of that.
However, even if it’s simply part ofSony’s push for moreHorizoncontent, that doesn’t make it any less counterproductive to the franchise’s entire plot. Ultimately, it feels like a major oversight on Sony’s part, as the demo has basically turned Aloy into the very thing she has been fighting against inHorizon Zero DawnandHorizon Forbidden West.
The story of theHorizonfranchise takes place in the year 3040. The first game mostly takes place around what was once Colorado and Utah, while the sequel explores Utah, Nevada, and California.
Sony’s AI Model Ambitions Remain Mysterious
Right now, there is only a small inkling of information available regarding what Sony wishes to do with these AI chat bots. The subject of AI has been incredibly controversial in recent years, and it will be interesting to see how such chat models are received by players, if they’re ever officially launched. This prototype raises a lot of questions regarding how exactly it will be used. It could just be an extra feature included infuture PlayStation generations, or it could somehow be part of the gameplay, which is bound to be controversial.
The general plot ofHorizonis essentially a warning about the dangers of unchecked AI.
According to The Verge, Sony’s AI chat models utilize both GPT-4 and Llama 3 for their conversations.
Only time will tell just how this idea will beutilized by Sony, if at all. It could simply be an interesting tech demo, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Sony wanted to make this a feature for its consoles and games moving forward. It also raises further questions about how this could affect voice actors and game developers going forward. This remains to be seen, but at the moment, using Aloy as a way to showcase AI capabilities may not sit well withHorizonfans who have taken the series' message to heart.
