AI will never replace ‘human touch’

PlayStation’s boss says artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to “revolutionise” gaming, but he believes it will never replace the “human touch” of games made by people.

Hermen Hulst and his co-CEO Hideaki Nishino spoke to the BBC as Sony celebrates the thirtieth anniversary of the console being launched.

The company has had a year marked by highs and lows, with the phenomenal success of its PlayStation 5 console and games offset by big job losses, in a pattern repeated across the industry.

Game developers have been hit by slowing demand after the pandemic – but some are also concerned about the impact of AI on jobs.

Advances in the technology have the potential to allow many of the mundane parts of game development to become automated.

But it has also caused deep unease that AI systems will also take over the creative process, with voice actors in the US striking over fears the tech could be used to replace them.

Mr Hulst acknowledged AI was changing gaming – but said there would always be a future for human developers.

“I suspect there will be a dual demand in gaming: one for AI-driven innovative experiences and another for handcrafted, thoughtful content,” he told the BBC.

“Striking the right balance between leveraging AI and preserving the human touch will be crucial.”

Since taking over in June, the two bosses have faced a number of difficult moments.

The much-anticipated shooting game Concord turned into a high-profile failure, with players who bought it being refunded, and the studio closed.

“Certain aspects of Concord were exceptional, but others did not land with enough players, and as a result we took the game offline,” Mr Hulst said at the time.

The firm also faced criticism over the £699.99 price tag for its new PlayStation 5 Pro console – hardware capable of playing games at higher fidelity.

The firm’s two-person leadership model has also raised eyebrows in the industry. Mr Hulst mostly oversees software and Mr Nishino looks after hardware.

“We can achieve greater focus in our respective areas and then come together to develop the best experiences for the PlayStation community,” said Mr Nishino.

They point to the example of surprise hit Astro Bot, which released to acclaim in September and has since received several game of the year nominations.

“I cannot express how happy we are with the reception of Astro Bot,” Mr Hulst said.

Despite that success there are a number of issues for Sony to wrestle with.

Its handheld consoles haven’t historically fared as well as its home offerings, and the CEOs wouldn’t be drawn on whether there may be a new PlayStation Portable (PSP) in the future.

But Mr Nishino said the way players play games is changing, and pointed to its handheld PlayStation Portal – a cross between a controller and a screen – which he said has been “a huge success”.

And while previously it exclusively allowed players to stream games from a PS5 they already own, that is about to change.

“Recently, we just announced a beta programme… allowing Cloud streaming directly to the handheld,” he said.

“We’re always exploring various options for how players can play games.”

One area where the firm wants to continue to expand into is turning games into films.

Early attempts by rivals – such as 1993’s Super Mario Bros and 1994’s Street Fighter – were panned by critics.

But recent adaptions, including movie versions of the Mario, Sonic and Pokemon franchises, have met with much more success.

Sony has shared in that with 2023 series The Last of Us, and 2022’s Uncharted, both based on games by Sony-owned developer Naughty Dog.

And Mr Hulst said his vision for the future included more transfers to the big screen.

He pointed to 2018’s God of War, which is being developed as a show for Amazon Prime, as his favourite PlayStation game from the past 30 years.

“I am hoping to raise the PlayStation IP outside of just the gaming category and elevate it so it sits comfortably within the larger entertainment industry,” he said.

While looking to the future, the company is also reflecting on the enduring appeal of the PlayStation console.

Though it originally launched in December 1994 in Japan, those in the UK and US had to wait until September 1995 to get their hands on it.

It has proved to be a runaway success, with Sony’s four home consoles prior to the PlayStation 5 each becoming one of the top ten best-selling gaming machines in history. The PS5 is on its way to joining them, too.

Despite his role as CEO, Mr Nishino said he did not have a home console when he started gaming – instead going to a friend’s house to play.

“I started to convince my parents to buy Nintendo’s Family Computer [known as the NES in the UK], but it was not an easy task,” he said.

“Together with my little brother, we finally convinced our parents to give us one, but I felt it took forever.”

For his joint CEO it was the other way round – he was prompted his mother, a toy store owner, to game.

“She was a bit scared of technology and would always call on me to demo the gaming devices to customers,” Mr Hulst said.

“After hours, I would sneak into the store”, he added.

“I surely developed my passion for games at this wonderful time in my life.”