When a kid is stuck in a game, they can pass the controller over to their parents or older siblings; however, what happens when there's nobody there to help you out? Sony aims to fix this by letting an AI take over and play your games for you... but it isn't just any AI.
Sony's Patent to Create a "Digital You"
The full patent is available on the Patentscope website. The idea behind the patent will allow Sony's AI to take over your game and play it for you when you're busy.
However, this isn't a case of Sony using a single AI model for all of its users. For instance, if you're grinding away in an RPG and activate the AI, it won't load up a basic AI for that game and start following it.
Instead, the AI profile will actively monitor how you act as you play the game. Then, when you hand over the reins to the console, it will continue to play the game as close to your style as possible.
The idea behind this design is that it allows you to let the AI take over no matter what game you're playing, even multiplayer ones. If you're playing an online match in an FPS game and the doorbell rings, you can tell the AI to take over while you answer it. No more "you can't pause an online game" excuses; now they can play themselves.
Of course, the AI will also help you when you're stuck in a game. However, it doesn't seem to refer to a developer-made guide and follows it until you're free; instead, it would ask what the patent calls "expert players" about how you should progress, collect the most popular answer, then delivers the information to you.
Sony's patent also states that the service will store the answers in a database similar to GameFAQs. That way, other people who get stuck in that one place can automatically pull from this preordained solution from the expert players to solve their problem.
Of course, you should take all of this information with a huge grain of salt. Technology companies are always filing patents, but not all of them see the light of day. As such, it's best to look at this as a sign of what game companies want to achieve next rather than definitive proof of new features on the horizon.
A Little Help From My (AI-Based) Friends
While it's just a patent right now, Sony's idea of an AI that learns how to play like you is fascinating. We'll have to wait and see if gaming companies go ahead with implementing AI as a game helper tool for players.
If you like the sound of someone helping you out in your game, but you'd rather not wait to see if this patent pans out, why not use game-sharing tools? These let a friend (or an "expert player") hop in and solve that annoying puzzle for you as if they were sitting next to you.
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