Sony Clarifies AI Role in Game Development: A Creative Support, Not a Replacement
Sony has outlined its vision for artificial intelligence in game development, emphasizing that AI will serve as a support tool for creativity rather than a substitute for developers. The company detailed its stance in its recently published 2025 Corporate Report PDF link.
AI Already in Use at Sony Studios
Sony confirmed that its Enterprise LLM AI tool has already been used in some game development processes. For example:
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 utilized voice recognition software specialized for games, enabling automatic subtitling in multiple languages.
AI models were tested with characters like Horizon’s Aloy, exploring ways to integrate the technology into workflows.
Since 2023, more than 50,000 employees across 210 teams at Sony have used the Enterprise LLM tool for chat assistance, writing tasks, and integration with daily work tools.
Sony stressed that its aim is to ensure AI is applied responsibly, with attention to legal, privacy, and ethical issues. The goal is to accelerate and streamline workflows, not replace the human creativity that drives game development. For instance, the company is already leveraging AI to improve image quality through upscaling technology, including the PSSR upscaler featured in the PlayStation 5 Pro.
The broader industry has been grappling with the unsustainable demands of large-scale game development. Notably, Masahiro Sakurai, creator of the Super Smash Bros. series, said in June that the industry must embrace new methods to remain viable, pointing to AI as a way to improve efficiency. Sony’s position reflects this same approach, using AI as a supportive force to ease development burdens without diminishing the role of developers.
The report makes clear that AI will be a partner in creativity, helping developers focus more on vision and design rather than repetitive or time-consuming tasks. For Sony, the balance between innovation and ethics remains central as it integrates AI across its studios.
Do you think Sony’s approach to AI as a supportive tool is the right way forward for sustainable game development, or will it inevitably edge into replacing human roles over time?
