Gran Turismo Sophy can now drift like you’ve never seen before

The fresh demonstration of the artificial intelligence agent – co-developed between Sony AI and Gran Turismo 7 creators Polyphony Digital – was showcased during the Gran Turismo World Series World Finals to bewilderment amongst the assembled guests.

To this point, GT Sophy has been formed to race like a human against others on track. So it can defend or attack in a more humanistic way than previous AI-controlled rivals, and all the time it’s constantly learning.

First unveiled in February 2022, and then tested at several GT World Series esports events against the quickest drivers in the world, it was available as a limited test to all PlayStation 5 Gran Turismo 7 players in February of this year.

However, now it can have fun and let off some steam, with a wild in-game replay display of drifting in a Lamborghini Countach LP400 from 1974 around Trial Mountain.

The incongruous nature of a classic car billowing smog from its rear tyres to form the automotive equivalent of a smoke grenade was a sight to behold.

At times it would spin around before a corner, before perfectly transitioning into a power slide around the apex.

The style was unorthodox. While we were told that theoretically, a human could drive like this and that the physics were standard, it was able to go from fourth gear, mid-spin, straight to reverse and then back to first within tenths of a second. It was also able to go from lock to lock incredibly quickly. It was using Comfort Soft tyres.

As to how this could be used within the game is yet to be seen, if ever in this way, and no further details other than the video replay were provided. The video has not yet been released by Sony AI, so you’ll have to take our word for it, watch our brief clip embedded above and the few stills of the screen we were able to capture.

But, rest assured, GT Sophy is the most intriguing element of Gran Turismo 7 at present and this slapstick presentation showcased its ever-expanding breadth of abilities. Hopefully, it will return to the platform sometime soon.

Images and video taken by Traxion.GG