Gran Turismo Sophy ‘B-Spec’ strategy features showcased

It has been 11 years since the Gran Turismo game series last had a B-spec mode, back when Gran Turismo 6 launched.

This was a race management feature, where you oversaw an AI-controlled driver in a race. You could control their pace and strategy, for example, requesting an overtake.

Gran Turismo Sophy, meanwhile, is an AI Agent that uses reinforcement learning to deliver life-like on-track actions. Capable of searing speed, it is available within several tracks on Gran Turismo 7, recently expanding the roster.

At the Gran Turismo World Series World Finals 2024 in Amsterdam, a new race-together prototype was displayed, with pro drivers experimenting in a strategy-filled event.

With the drivers not behind the wheel – although the Fanatec devices were still connected and behaving as if a driver was at the helm in spooky fashion – they were able to dictate race pace and pitstops.

An in-game menu offered five speed levels: Fastest, Fast, Average, Slow and Slowest.

In the demonstration, there was also the option to request an overtake and to visit the pitlane. The on-screen emoticons are said to help plays understand what Sophy AI makes of your decisions.

“We’re hoping that as we get more and more feedback from these [World Series] drivers, we hope to give players better experiences in the game,” said Kaushik Subramanian, Senior Research Scientist at Sony AI.

“We’re going to take the feedback from here… the more we do that, the more engaging it will be to the players… They can test much longer strategies that they couldn’t do without this AI.”

“You have to keep an eye on the emoticons and then manage the gap,” said driver Angel Inostroza, who was acting as a quasi-team manager and strategist.

Last year, GT Sophy was demonstrated drifting a Lamborghini at insane angles, and Traxion hopes to hear more about this latest development soon.