Sony is doing pretty well thanks to the success of the PlayStation 4, but that success can’t sustain the company forever, and it needs to find an alternative source of revenue if it wants to survive. There are plenty of emerging technologies to choose from, and Sony is already experimenting with virtual reality, but according to a report from Reuters on Tuesday, the company wants artificial intelligence to be one of its primary focuses in the years to come. In order to kickstart its nonexistent AI business, the company has invested an undisclosed amount of money in an American AI startup by the name of Cogitai.
Sony may be known for making sound systems, televisions, PlayStations, and disappointing Spider-Man movies, but now the tech powerhouse is joining the likes of Amazon, Apple and Google by diving into artificial intelligence. Rather than go it on their own, the company is putting down money on AI in a major way. According to Reuters, Sony already has an undisclosed sum of money invested on an American startup by the name of Cogitai “From an objective perspective, we are lagging behind,” said Chief Executive Hiroaki Kitano of Sony Computer Science Laboratories, adding that the company’s experience producing hardware will work to its advantage. Sony’s investment may be revealed sooner than later, with the company hoping to have a product from its partnership with Cogitai ready to see the light of day within a year. Sony’s work with AI could also play into its upcoming Xperia Agent – a competitor to the Alexa-powered Amazon Echo. Developing AI has become a secondary focus for many major tech companies, with bigwigs like Facebook, Apple, and Google all putting their own spin on the concept, from digital assistants to robotic board game masters.
