Sony is working to provide players with AI teammates and NPCs

A video of Aloy from Horizon Forbidden West talking to software engineering at Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sharwin Raghoebardajal, recently leaked. The character mentioned was used to showcase AI-NPC interaction by Sony, which will respond according to user input. Like many others, the company has been quite interested in machine learning.

First noted by The Verge, the video was shortly taken down with a copyright notice. Sony had previously filed patents describing similar tech they may introduce in the future; however, this is the first time people got to see this in action, and as one would expect, the technology is far from convincing. While technically one can interact endlessly, the conversation may not be of use or enjoyable just yet.

AI-Powered Aloy from Horizon Forbidden West Fails to Impress Viewers

Video game companies keep experimenting with artificial intelligence, and it can be hit or miss. Unfortunately for Sony, its venture into the field with AI-powered Aloy from Horizon Forbidden West did not amaze… pic.twitter.com/DE7mwr2guS

— 80 LEVEL (@80Level) March 11, 2025

Sony plans to pair people with AI friends

While artificial intelligence (AI) has been a highly debated topic, creating many controversies, most notably the SAG-AFTRA video game strike, companies are showing no signs of slowing down. A recently published patent by Sony also tells something similar with NPC companions using AI, which further extends to multiplayer games.

The NPC in question will be generated based on data from at least two players to assess different skill levels. The AI system will track the gameplay style and how players make input to have a companion that feels like a real player so even the bot lobbies inside a game will be challenging.

Also Read: Sony’s partnership with AMD will FSR 4 implementation in PS5 Pro next year

How do AI companions benefit players?

The main argument here is that the AI NPC companions will provide players with someone to play multiplayer games with. In the case of single-player titles, the NPCs will be able to hold a conversation and not be locked to certain output commands. That was the idea behind the AI Aloy showcase by Sony. However, those who saw the interaction called it ‘creepy’ and made fun of the tech, and to be honest, it is nowhere near ready to be implemented inside video games.