Sony Unveils Gran Turismo Sophy, A New Artificial Intelligence That Outperforms Professional GT Drivers

Sony teased an interesting AI announcement last week, and today it revealed Gran Turismo Sophy. This AI was developed in partnership by Polyphony Digital. It races cars so well it can outperform professional GT drivers. 

On the surface, it looks like a very good driving AI and if you’re anything like me, you’ve had your butt kicked by AI drivers in the likes of Need for Speed, Dirt, and even Gran Turismo before. However, Sony’s presentation today, which included speakers from Polyphony Digital including Gran Turismo 7 producer Kazunori Yamauchi, showcased just how great Sophy is at Gran Turismo. 

Before diving into the brain behind Sophy, let me mention how Sony showcased Sophy’s AI strength during a preview Game Informer Attended: There were multiple Gran Turismo Sport professional players (see real people) competing against Sophy versions. Can you guess who was first? Sophy. An individual came second, while another SophyAI version took the bronze medal. 

Sophy was able to outperform one of the most skilled Gran Turismo players around the globe, and it did so very realistically. That’s because the Sophy AI isn’t designed to race as good as (or better than) human players through unrealistic ways. Sophy instead uses realistic tactics and racing strategies to win first place, just like professional GT drivers. 

“GT Sophy is an autonomous AI agent trained utilizing a novel deep reinforcement learning platform developed in collaboration between Sony AI, PDI, and SIE,” Sony says. “Each group contributed to the success of the project by bringing together expertise in fundamental AI research and development, a hyper-realistic real world racing simulator, and infrastructure for massive scale AI training.” 

Sony says Sophy is able to drive with champion-level drivers because he was taught the following skills:

1. Control Race CarUnderstanding of the car’s dynamics and racing lines. Precision maneuvers are required to overcome challenging tracks.
2. Race TacticsYou can make split-second decisions in racing situations that are rapidly changing. GT Sophy displayed mastery over tactics such as slipstream passing and crossover passes. He also showed some defensive maneuvers like blocking. 
3. Racing EtiquetteGT Sophy must adhere to extremely precise, yet imprecise, rules of sportsmanship in order to ensure fair play. This includes avoiding collisions at fault and respecting the driving lines of opponents.

Polyphony Digital has confirmed that Sophy will be included in Gran Turismo 7 sometime soon. Although no release date was given or a release window, Gran Turismo 7 will be available on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 starting March 4, so you’ll have plenty of time to practice. You can read the rest of this while you wait. Game Informer’sAfter watching the hands-on presentation last week, you can preview Gran Turismo 7, and then see this Gran Turismo 7 gameplay. 

Do you want to be the one to beat GT Sophy in Gran Turismo 7? Comment below to let us know your thoughts!