Sophy, a new artificial intelligence for the Gran Turismo series of games, was introduced in February by Sony AI and Polyphony Digital. It is expected to eventually replace the current rule-based AI, which players dislike because it is too predictable and has a driving style that differs too much from humans.
Sophy’s growth continues, and it has recently taken another step forward by breaking one of Lewis Hamilton’s records. The researchers put it to the test on the Nordschleife in Nürburgring. The Nordschleife is more than 20 kilometers long and is regarded as one of the most difficult circuits in the world. The race takes place in Gran Turismo Sport’s Lewis Hamilton Time Trial Challenge mode.
Sony AI has released a video of Sophy’s accomplishment. The AI was in a 1989 Sauber Mercedes C9 with Race: Hard (CrD) tyres. It completed a lap in 5 minutes and 22.975 seconds, which is 17 seconds faster than Lewis Hamilton’s time of 5 minutes and 40.622 seconds. The AI accomplished this feat by experimenting with the track, frequently passing over grass to gain fractions of a second. Nonetheless, it followed the rules of the game.
The creator of the Gran Turismo series, Kazunori Yamauchi, stated that the goal is for Sophy to become “a teacher who teaches players how to drive, a student who learns sportsmanship from players, and a friend to race with.” This new AI is expected to be included in a future update to Gran Turismo 7 , but no date has been set.
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See you on the track!
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No track limits…I mean: many track limits were harmed in the making of this video.