Activision Responds to Complaints of AI-Generated Assets in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7

Activision has issued a connection successful effect to subordinate outcry regarding the seeming usage of generative AI creation assets successful a fig of areas of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.

Players person been taking to societal media contiguous to kick astir images they judge to beryllium AI-generated crossed the game, chiefly focusing connected calling paper images that they assertion look to usage Studio Ghibli styling, pursuing a inclination of AI-Ghibli images from earlier this year.

I havent truly looked astatine the Multiplayer and Zombie calling cards arsenic intimately and im consenting to stake they're utilizing ai connected those excessively but its lone the Campaign and endgame calling cards that are this benignant of blatant Sora/Grok artstyle pic.twitter.com/5qmEXhoQkJ

— Kume (@Kumesicles) November 14, 2025

In effect to this outcry, Activision has issued a connection to a fig of outlets, including PC Gamer, that acknowledges the issue...sort of: "Like truthful galore astir the world, we usage a assortment of integer tools, including AI tools, to empower and enactment our teams to make the champion gaming experiences imaginable for our players. Our originative process continues to beryllium led by the talented individuals successful our studios."

It's worthy pointing retired that the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Steam leafage besides includes the pursuing disclaimer: "Our squad uses generative AI tools to assistance make immoderate successful crippled assets." Not precisely descriptive!

This isn't the archetypal clip Call of Duty has travel nether occurrence for this, either. This nonstop script played retired backmost successful February, erstwhile Activision admitted that it had utilized generative AI successful the improvement of Black Ops 6, including successful a zombie Santa loading surface that aggravated fans referred to arsenic "AI slop."

Then, conscionable this past August, Black Ops 7 subordinate originative manager Miles Leslie clarified the team's stance connected the exertion further:

“We unrecorded successful a satellite now, wherever determination are AI tools. I deliberation our authoritative connection we said past year, astir Black Ops 6, is that everything that goes into the crippled is touched by the squad a 100 percent. We person generative AI tools to assistance us, but nary of that goes in-game."And past you're going to say, ‘Yeah, but it has.' I'll accidental it has by accident. And that was ne'er the intention. We've travel retired and been precise wide that we usage these arsenic tools to assistance the team, but they bash not regenerate immoderate of the fantastic squad members we person that are doing the last touches and gathering that contented to enactment it successful the game.“So everything you play: human-created and touched. AI tools successful the satellite we unrecorded in: it's however bash we streamline it? That's truly the goal. Not replace, but streamline.”

In response, IGN asked wherefore the zombie Santa and different generative AI images hadn't been removed from the crippled yet, to which Leslie said that was not his department, and that "the squad is actively looking astatine that stuff." It is unclear if, why, oregon however Activision's stance connected this has changed implicit time.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is retired now. We've fixed the run a effort and aren't wholly brainsick astir it, with our reviewer saying it's " a chaotic 1 acknowledgment to the scope of its ambition, but the large swings it takes don't ever land, leaving it an uneven measurement down from past year."

Rebekah Valentine is simply a elder newsman for IGN. You tin find her posting connected BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a communicative tip? Send it to [email protected].