Sony Group President and Chief Executive Officer Hiroki Totoki believes that the future PlayStation projects will benefit greatly from artificial intelligence, having said as much during a recent company meeting. Nonetheless, the executive indicated that Sony would take a measured approach to adopting AI technology, stressing the importance of maintaining a human touch in PlayStation game development.
Sony's patent activity suggests that the company has been actively exploring PlayStation applications of AI technology for about a decade. During the same period, the gaming giant has also worked to strengthen its expertise in the field through the acquisition of machine learning startups, the most recent of which was completed in the spring of 2026.
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Sony Group President and CEO Hiroki Totoki acknowledged the company's growing focus on AI during a May 8 earnings call held after the release of the tech giant's fiscal 2025 consolidated financial report. “AI is a powerful tool, but not a replacement for artists or creators,” the executive said. Using more ambitious language, Totoki characterized AI as “an amplifier of human imagination and a catalyst for new possibilities.”
AI will support PlayStation's entertainment mission, says Exec
As for AI applications in gaming and the wider entertainment industry, Totoki said the technology's potential extends far beyond mere efficiency gains. He argued that AI could make previously impossible projects feasible by allowing them to scale in new ways. Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hideaki Nishino also addressed the topic during the same earnings call, describing AI as a “powerful tool” that will support PlayStation's ever-evolving mission to offer the best platform for gamers and developers alike.
During the same earnings call, Totoki also asked a question about the ongoing memory crisis and its potential impact on the PlayStation 6. The executive indicated that Sony is still deep in the development process of its next-generation console and said that the PS6's price has not yet been decided. Likewise, he confirmed that the PS5 successor's release window has yet to be determined. Addressing memory prices more broadly, Totoki acknowledged them as an ongoing business challenge, noting that Sony is closely monitoring the supply situation and will respond as needed. He ended the discussion on a more unexpected note, saying that Sony is considering “new potential ways” to sell the PS6 depending on future circumstances, though it's currently unclear what those options might entail. Whenever it hits the market, the PS6 seems likely to continue Sony's broader push into AI-assisted gaming technology. While the details are still unclear, dedicated AI rendering hardware seems to be one of the safer bets for now, with the console potentially designed around more pervasive use of upscaling and image reconstruction.
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Sony's interest in artificial intelligence is not limited to games, but spans several industries. The broader focus was most recently underscored by Sony's acquisition of Cinemersive Labs, a British AI startup that specializes in converting images into 3D media formats suitable for augmented and virtual reality. The deal was completed in early April 2026 for an undisclosed sum, after which Cinemersive Labs was folded into Sony's Visual Computing Group.
