Sony AI and Gran Turismo 7 developer Polyphony Digital will announce a “breakthrough project in AI” on 9th February. The teaser trailer is far too ambiguous to draw any conclusions from, but we’re going to assume this is all related to a study that was published last year, in which the companies accurately taught an artificial intelligence how to drive. We know, weird, right?

Basically, the companies collaborated on an AI that learned from human information like the track, heads-up display, and force feedback. Eventually, the computer program was able to achieve lap times within the top 10 per cent of real-life players, and could perform 4.5 seconds faster than the average human. So, pretty impressive, then.

It’s unlikely this AI will be used within the game, although brainless computer controlled drivers has been a point of criticism for the series in the past. Speaking at a media event earlier this month, creator Kazunori Yamauchi hinted that this had been improved upon in Gran Turismo 7. The proof on that front will be in the pudding, though.

We wouldn’t get your hopes up too much for this announcement: this is clearly relating to some kind of research project, and will likely only be interesting for people working in the tech sector.

[source youtube.com, via twitter.com]