- A new Sony patent wants to use AI accounts to imitate gamers to catch malicious players in games.
- Any suspicious players, such as spammers, scammers, cheaters, and possible predators, can become targets.
- The proposed system aims to prevent real gamers from getting hurt by catching malicious ones.
While innovating is Sony’s major priority, it is also focused on ensuring that players can always have a safe experience in games. So, the giant conglomerate is not shy about trying wild and controversial ideas that can improve the security of its player base. Its latest patent might take the cake, however.
We’ve stumbled upon a new Sony patent for using AI accounts that imitate player profiles to catch malicious users in games.
These ‘pseudo accounts’ can target suspicious players by having a natural interaction with them, luring them to break any rules by being from a targeted demographic, or siphoning out any other proof of their maliciousness given the context.
A decoy account or network is deployed to identify accounts of anti-social users such as spammers, scammers, computer game cheaters, and possible predators by subtly exposing some vulnerability acting as a lure for any such AS users.
Why it matters: Sony securing a patent for using AI accounts to impersonate gamers to catch malicious users raises some loud alarm bells. The system will lure these anti-social users into breaking rules before flagging their accounts.
The patent dubbed ‘LARGE LANGUAGE MODEL POWERED SOCIAL INTEGRITY SYSTEM’ discusses using AI—such as trained generative neural networks—to find potentially malicious users, leading them into a trap and allowing them to mess up first. The AI-based system aims to flag potential malicious players and take action against them ahead of time.
Sony argues that the current system relies on a reactive approach, where malicious users violate rules and hurt victims before any action is taken. On the flip side, an exploiter can also ruin the gameplay for others for a while before any reports are made.
The AS (anti-social) account may be flagged as suspicious, and the system can wait for the AS account to make an initial move on a legitimate account and report it before any undesirable communication takes place.
Sony will likely use these AI-based user profiles to suspend malicious players or flag their accounts in games for further human moderation. Therefore, the system could make games pretty secure, but the fear of AI targeting innocent users over misunderstandings is also always there.
All in all, Sony has also published many other unique patents over the years, such as securing an advanced system to automatically adjust game FPS, brightness, and other details based on real-life factors, and another one about a game rewind feature with a universal controller button.
Do you think Sony should use AI-based profiles to catch suspected players with malicious and predatory behavior in games online? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, or join the discussion on the official Tech4Gamers forum.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devoutly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.