PlayStation Files Patent For An AI That Assists Players Stuck During a Game

A new patent from Sony has been discovered online, suggesting the company is exploring the use of AI to assist players who may be stuck at certain points in a game. The patent describes a technology called an AI Generated Ghost Player and includes several diagrams outlining its functionality. According to the filing, the system would use “methods, systems, and devices for providing ghost assistance to a player during gameplay” by creating a “ghost character” trained using gameplay footage to help guide players when they encounter difficulties. The AI would reportedly be customizable, allowing developers or players to control how much information it reveals.

“Some solutions have included the use of a character that a user can follow,” reads the patent application. “However, the character is usually a graphic image or outlined image of a prior player that played the game, and the user must follow the character watching the moves that occurred (including moves and interaction that is not relevant to the user’s current gameplay scenarios).

This is not, however, very useful for real-time assistance to a player that is encountering some difficulty with a specific scenario of gameplay or along the player’s specific gameplay path. This is because the character does not know specifically what the player is playing or the context of the user’s gameplay.”

It is worth noting that this is only a patent filing and the technology has not been officially announced or confirmed for use. If it does come to fruition, it would likely appear in future PlayStation consoles or games.