Sony Patents New AI That Can Beat Difficult Game Levels For You

We have all been there. You are deep into a game, totally immersed, until you hit that one boss fight or puzzle that feels impossible. You try, fail, and try again until the fun turns into frustration. Usually, the next step is looking up a YouTube walkthrough or rage-quitting entirely. But Sony has a different solution in mind: an AI companion that can literally take the controller out of your hands and beat the level for you. Sony Interactive Entertainment has had a patent application published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) for a technology called the "AI Generated Ghost Player." 

Originally filed in September 2024 and officially published in April 2025, the patent recently resurfaced on tech site BoingBoing in late December 2025. The core idea is simple yet revolutionary: an on-demand AI partner that helps you navigate difficult gaming moments so you don't give up.

The technology is a step up from the current PlayStation 5 "Game Help" feature, which mostly offers static text hints or pre-recorded videos. This new system is designed to be dynamic. It uses Artificial Intelligence trained on huge hours of gameplay footage, including user playthroughs, Twitch streams, and YouTube videos, to understand the specific context of where you are stuck. By analyzing your screen and inputs in real-time, it generates a "ghost" overlay to guide you.

According to the filing, the system offers two distinct ways to help. First, there is a "Guide Mode." In this setting, the AI projects a digital ghost or outline onto your screen, perhaps even a fully animated character or a figure from another game, that demonstrates exactly where to go or which buttons to press, as reported by Gamerant. It essentially acts as a co-op partner, showing you the ropes while you retain control.

Guide Mode vs. Complete Mode

For players who just want to move past a frustrating segment, there is the "Complete Mode." This is where the technology gets truly futuristic. In this mode, the AI physically takes over the game controls to finish the specific section for you. It handles navigation, combat, and complex mechanics, allowing you to "skip" the frustration and get back to the story.

Sony’s primary motivation here appears to be player retention. The patent explicitly mentions the industry problem of "churn,” when players abandon a game because they lack the time or expertise to master specific mechanics. By offering a way to bypass these roadblocks, Sony hopes to keep players engaged. While critics worry that this kind of 'hand-holding' might actually ruin the fun. For many players, especially in punishing games like Dark Souls, the whole thrill comes from struggling and finally winning on your own. If an AI does the hard work for you, that feeling of victory just isn't the same.

This move aligns with a broader trend among big tech companies to integrate AI into the gaming experience. Sony AI, a branch dedicated to such research since April 2020, has already showcased autonomous agents in the Gran Turismo series. Similarly, Microsoft began rolling out its Xbox Gaming Copilot in September 2025, an assistant that offers real-time tips and recommendations. 

While Microsoft's tool assists with strategy, Sony’s patent suggests a more hands-on approach where the AI acts as a surrogate player. Of course, a patent is not a product announcement. Companies frequently patent ideas that never see the light of day. However, given the rapid rise of AI tools in development, this "Ghost Player" signals a potential future where "getting good" is optional, and help is just a button press away.