Even if you want to share your favorite games with your children, there are often cases where they are difficult to recommend due to cruel or suggestive content. What if you could mask or replace only the parts deemed inappropriate? Sony has filed a patent for a new technology that allows users to adjust the intensity of in-game content themselves based on AI.

The US Patent and Trademark Office published the patent application filed by Sony Interactive Entertainment on December 4 (local time). Titled 'AUTOMATIC BESPOKE EDITS OF VIDEO CONTENT USING AI', the technology allows AI to censor or replace scenes and audio in real-time in audiovisual content like games, based on a user's personal sensitivity or preferences.

The system identifies blocking points by analyzing scripts, subtitles, and metadata. It can even identify graffiti on walls or profanity on a character's t-shirt using OCR (Optical Character Recognition).

Examples provided include allowing alcohol while blocking drugs, or filtering out high-intensity profanity such as the 'F-word'. It is also explained that if a user feels fear toward objects that are not generally considered scary, such as 'clowns' or 'red balloons', they can be set to be hidden in all content.

Deepfake technology can be used to overwrite or change content as specified by the user. For example, if a game character uses profanity, the deepfake model can replace it with milder words like 'Oh my' or 'Goodness' while maintaining the character's unique voice tone. Other examples include playing a warning chime before offensive content appears, displaying messages like 'Red balloon incoming!', or prompting the user to look away. It also includes a feature that automatically activates filter mode after detecting whether a child is playing via a camera or microphone.

If content intensity can be finely adjusted to the user in this way, it becomes possible to provide a more personalized play experience for children or individual users than standard age ratings. The patent application also describes the development background, stating, 'Age rating standards for audiovisual content can change over time. This makes it difficult for parents or guardians to properly grasp the characteristics of content before allowing their children to play. Furthermore, general age ratings do not reflect the sensitivity to elements that may be offensive to specific individuals.'