Sony Patents a Self-Censorship Tool Powered by AI
The system would be able to access video game content and alter it based on user preferences.
As if there weren't already enough AI-related controversies circulating online, Sony Interactive Entertainment has poured even more gasoline on the fire by filing a patent for a new censorship system – or rather, self-censorship – powered by artificial intelligence.
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Titled "US20250372124 - AUTOMATIC BESPOKE EDITS OF VIDEO CONTENT USING AI," the patent lists Mason Foster as the inventor and describes a processor system capable of accessing video game content, including both video and audio files, and modifying it using AI according to user-defined content filtering settings.
The tool would be able to mute, skip, and pause parts of the audio, pixelate and blur parts of the video, generate new versions of audio/video content without the parts the user chose to obfuscate, and even create deepfakes, effectively allowing users to censor curse words, gore, and other NSFW content in any game.
While it might seem like a harmless feature at first – use it if you want, ignore it if you don't – the tool does raise ethical questions about turning a game not titled "Roblox" or "Fortnite" – i.e., a concrete idea realized by its developers – into a "bespoke" AI-driven experience, potentially altering the intent of certain scenes or the scenes themselves and likely serving up a side of hallucinations as a bonus. In other words, imagine Manhunt as a PEGI 3 experience where the environment around you is constantly shifting – there you have it.
"It is difficult for parents and guardians to adequately judge the nature of the audio video (AV) content prior to letting their children watch or play it," the patent reads. "But more than that, the general ratings themselves might not adequately compensate for individual user sensitivities to certain things that might be objectionable to a specific person for whatever reason. Current technology fails to provide a way to adequately address these things."
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