Sony patents AI-generated ‘ghost’ support system to assist stuck players

Sony has patented a new AI system to assist stuck players.

Described as an ‘AI Generated Ghost Player,’ players struggling to progress past a particular puzzle or boss could call on the ‘Ghost’ to complete part, or all of, the section, helping them proceed.

As first reported by AllaboutAI, the tech is described as an overlay that interacts with the environment alongside the player, as though a co-op partner is demonstrating the solution directly to them in-game.

Another solution demonstrated in the patent shows how users could switch between different modes depending on the support they need.

The patent was filed internationally in 2024 but has only gained traction now following a recent status update. As the abstract explains, it’s a system that could provide a player with “assistance during gameplay of a video game.”

“The method includes executing a video game for a game session,” the abstract writes. “The player controls a player character during the game session. The method includes detecting selection of ghost assistance for the game session.”

The game session could then, hypothetically, link to an AI engine that could provide “ghost assistance” through natural-language queries, and render the ghost character in-game.

“Although video game technology has seen many advances, some players find themselves in need of assistance. Games become very complicated, so players who are not experts oftentimes quit playing or find it hard to complete tasks,” the patent explains in its introductory section.

“Players are able to do research for the game or even look up prior gameplays on internet sites, but that process is time-consuming and many times not very relevant to tasks and/or scenarios currently being encountered by the player.”

It’s not the first example of Sony experimenting with AI-driven player solutions. Last year, a leaked video appeared to show PlayStation’s director of software engineering, Sharwin Raghoebardajal, conversing with an early AI Aloy prototype. Microsoft, too, has long been working to integrate AI assistance into its systems.