Gamers, beware. This warning goes out specifically to Gran Turismo fans and enthusiasts. This new artificial intelligence can now beat even the most skilled players. Meet GT Sophy, an AI that is capable of beating experienced human drivers. Created by Sony’s brand new AI laboratory, the computer is capable of superhuman reactions and creating airtight racing strategies.
Sony further elaborates that GT Sophy can master the racing lines of three Gran Turismo Sport tracks down to the millimeter. However, according to Michael Spranger, Sony AI’s chief operating officer, that is not the only thing that lets the AI win in races. The AI is capable of playing fairly and following the rules of the game. GT Sophy was developed to behave in a way human drivers would.
A racing demonstration was held to showcase the capabilities of the AI in real-time. Four GT Sophy bots raced against four Gran Turismo esports competitors — Tomoaki Yamanaka (2021 TGR GT Cup champion), Takuma Miyazono (2020 Nations Cup world champion and 2021 runner-up), Ryota Kokubun (2018 Nations Cup Asia/Oceania Champion), and Shotaro Ryu (runner-up, 2019 Japan National Esports champion, youth division). One of the bots, GT Sophy Rouge led the race and cleared the track 5.8 seconds earlier than Yamanaka.
Image credit: Polyphony Digital