Ever wonder what Grand Theft Auto 6 would look like with the edges sanded down? Something with less swearing, less gore, and probably not as exciting. Well, the PlayStation company might have an answer for that. Sony has filed a new patent detailing an AI-powered system that can automatically censor and ‘customize’ video game content based on ‘personal sensitivities.’
The patent, titled Automatic Bespoke Edits of Video Content Using AI (US20250372124), was filed by Sony Interactive Entertainment in May 2024 and published in December 2025. It describes AI models that analyze a game’s audio and video in real-time, detect content flagged by the user, and then obscure or alter it as gameplay unfolds.
Instead of traditional parental controls that simply block access, Sony’s AI game censorship system is more hands-on. The AI could mute profanity, blur gore or nudity, hide entire scenes, or even replace certain visuals and audio altogether. According to the document, players would be notified before or during sensitive moments, with the option to swap or remove the content.
In the patent’s abstract, Sony describes the real-time AI censorship system as follows:
AI models are disclosed to customize audio video (AV) content, such as video game content, based on user-provided content filtering parameters […] to identify, from the data, one or more aspects of the first AV content that have been indicated for obfuscation via end-user input […] [and] take one or more actions to obfuscate the one or more aspects of the first AV content.
[…]
User can indicate for example that “no red balloons” should be shown, and then the system can overlay a text box over any red balloons in the content that says ‘no red balloons”, or even prompt the user before playout of the red balloons that indicates “Red balloon coming up, I’ll beep cell phone or display a picture-in-picture (PIP) message to cover the kid’s eyes.”
Sony has also filed an international application for the same AI censorship system, indicating the company may be considering multi-region use of the technology. That’s not all, however, as it also notes that the technology can be executed as a ‘standalone app’ on ‘one or more’ computing devices. That means, it wouldn’t be limited to PS5 or PS6 and could apply to Xbox and Nintendo consoles and even VR or mobile platforms as well.
In theory, the idea behind the AI tech is customization rather than restriction. Players can set their own filters, and the AI does the rest. It could be used as a more versatile arachnophobia mode. But crank those settings high enough, and perhaps, even Mature-rated games like GTA 6 could end up looking barely recognizable. Maybe turning it into something like Roblox Jailbreak with violent and lewd content hidden behind a black screen?
Still, like most patents made by gaming companies, there’s no guarantee this tech will ever be released as described — or even ship at all. Remember that interactive ad patent (also from Sony) that required you to scream “McDonald’s!” to skip them back in the early 2010s? Even so, it offers a glimpse into how Sony is thinking about utilizing AI for furthering accessibility and content control.
