What we all thought we knew has at last been confirmed: Activision is using AI in Call of Duty. Here's the thing, though. AI isn't going away, and its use is only going to increase.
I can already feel the pitchforks poking me from behind. I'm not defending AI versus paying a talented designer to create great content. In the case of Activision, now owned by one of the world's largest, richest companies, I think it's abhorrent. Especially given how much money they're rinsing out of our pockets through the course of a year.
This isn't a right versus wrong, good versus evil. The simple truth is that AI exists, AI can be used to create graphics and words and sounds, and developers are going to use it. In my mind, the thing that grinds my gears the most isn't that it's being used, it's the deception. Unless forced, Activision wouldn't have said a damn thing.
It also doesn't paint a happy picture of the future of gaming.
The fact Steam has to force this disclosure is wrong
I want to shout out Steam for actually looking out for its customers of late. There was a mandatory change recently that forced developers to confess whether you were buying a game, or just a license to a game that could ultimately disappear from your library.
But the platform has also introduced a mandatory AI disclosure policy for games that want to be sold through the store. And let's face it, if you make a PC game and you're not on Steam, you must hate money. Activision certainly doesn't hate money.
So, good on Steam. But bad on everyone else. AI is a contentious issue, not just in gaming. Some love it, but many more loathe it. But it exists, and the least anyone can do is be upfront with their customers about whether or not they're using it and exactly what parts of the game are built with it.
Future PLC, the owner of Windows Central, has an AI policy that anyone is free to read. It's also why you can trust our content. If we're found using AI to write posts, we won't have a job.
Had Steam not forced its game developers to fess up, how many of them would? In the case of Activision, and one of the biggest franchises on the planet, they had months to do it and chose not to until forced.
I have a background in retail and customer service, and there's one thing I can convincingly say. Deceive your customers and they won't be your customers for much longer.
We also need to see similar policies applied to every storefront that sells video games. Absolutely looking at you there, Xbox.
It's not a good look when the video games industry is cutting jobs left and right
This use of AI to generate in-game assets is seen as particularly tone-deaf, given the tsunami of job losses across the industry in recent times. Xbox itself, which includes Activision, announced over 2,500 job losses just last year.
We don't know exactly which jobs they were and whether any designers were affected, but coupled with the shiny new Call of Duty using AI imagery, it doesn't take much to connect the dots.
In a game that's charging $90 real money to acquire all the items from the TMNT collaboration, on top of the base game at $70, the regular battle pass (and the Blackcell upsell on top of that), and an endless sea of new bundles to buy, it's not hard to see why people are ticked off.
Whether it's a calling card you've spent many hours grinding for, or something you bought with money, it's fair to be annoyed a game you spend so much money on is cheaping out and using AI. I get it. I said it's here to stay, not that it has to be adored.
As an example, the image above shows me asking ChatGPT to create something Call of Duty-inspired. It took me literally 90 seconds, and ignoring the text, you could certainly crop it and use it for a calling card. But that doesn't mean it should be used in a multi-billion dollar video game franchise. Even if I think it looks better than some of the calling cards already in the game, which is sad.
To the players, the customers, it looks like these mega-corporations (let's not forget Microsoft is currently worth over $2 trillion and has at times been above $3 trillion) are firing their workers and replacing some of them with AI tools that generate sub-par content. That's simply not acceptable.
To then try and cover it up until forced to admit it, well, I'll stop right there. We all know the response to that. Disclosing you're using AI is one thing, but it still doesn't mean folks have to like it. In some games, in light of job losses, it's insulting.
Will it make AI 'slop' more widespread?
If a percentage of players decide to quit Call of Duty because of their stance on AI, Activision will still be fine. Lower down the totem pole, though, smaller developers may not.
My worry is that seeing the biggest players in the game getting away with it may filter down and that we start becoming overrun with what has been coined "AI slop."
It's already starting, too. Just look at these examples from Steam Next Fest.
- Farming & Supermarket Simulator
- Gas Station Manager
- Corner Kitchen Fast Food Simulator
- Weeb Store Simulator
- Farm Renovator
I haven't played any of these, so I can't comment on their quality. But all listed use AI for assets, voice, music, or combinations of them. They could be quite good. But the simulator category is already starting to get overrun with AI-produced content.
AI doesn't necessarily have to mean a game isn't worth playing. But it does raise the question of quality going forward. In theory, anyone who wants to chase a quick buck could fire out a game using AI, but it's not necessarily going to be any good.
Video games are supposed to be an experience. Without quality put into the art and narrative, they shouldn't really be worth our time.
It's not all bad...
With the bad, there is always some good. Upcoming title, inZOI, for example, has fairly significant AI tools built-in. In this case, I'm actually curious to see how it plays out.
The really short version is that inZOI is kind of like The Sims, or it seems to be. It's that kind of life simulator where you grow your own little digital people and the world around them. Its AI disclosure on Steam reads as such:
"Players can generate unique textures for character outfits and various items based on text input. They can also create 3D objects from image input, which can be used as interior decorations or accessories, and add distinctive motions to their ZOI using video input. Additionally, the actions and thoughts of ZOIs are controlled through sLM technology, enabling more engaging and intuitive interactions."
For one, the AI disclosure here is far more detailed than on Black Ops 6, where it's clear they're doing the bare minimum. Activision isn't telling you whether it's calling cards you grind for, parts of the game world, or worse, premium cosmetics that are being generated with AI.
inZOI, on the other hand, is doing it right. In this type of game, AI feels like a natural fit. After all, what better way to create your own unique game world than by telling it exactly what you want and having it created in front of your eyes?
The latter part is also something I've been excited about since AI first began to rear its head. Ever seen the movie, Free Guy? It's about AI in a video game and how the main character within it changes his behavior and becomes free of arbitrary programmed actions.
More intelligent NPCs are, I think, another aspect of gaming that AI is perfectly poised to improve upon. For all the best scriptwriting in the world, a script is still a script. In a game like inZOI, something that's whole purpose is creating a unique and engaging world, intelligence over boilerplate interactions should surely be something interesting and worth exploring.
The end result needs to be a responsible approach. Developers need to be absolutely transparent about what they're using AI for and give us the option to make our own minds up. AI has the potential to make significant advancements in what our video games become, but it requires responsibility.
There is, ultimately, no substitute for human talent. No machine should be allowed to replace that.
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