‘It honestly sucks’: Fans think Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is filled with generative AI art

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has attracted criticism from some players for its alleged use of generative AI for its in-game calling card artwork.

Microsoft-owned Activision has confirmed on Black Ops 7’s Steam page that the new CoD entry “uses generative AI tools to help develop some in game assets”, but it does not specify where or how AI was implemented.

Now, users on Reddit and social media think they’ve discovered where generative AI has been used in Black Ops 7: its calling card artwork.

The reaction on social media appears to be mixed, with some players accepting generative AI as an investable part of future video games, while others have expressed frustration that the tool has been used in an expensive triple-A release.

“It honestly sucks that they have to basically use AI because Treyarch specifically has some amazing artists working at the studio,” wrote one Reddit user.

“We’re getting to the point that we’re just going to have to accept that AI art is here to stay and that sucks for the talented artists out there,” wrote another.

In a statement issued to CharlieIntel, Activision reiterated its use of AI tools, but wouldn’t confirm if it was used for the calling cards art.

“Like so many around the world, we use a variety of digital tools, including AI tools, to empower and support our teams to create the best gaming experiences possible for our players. Our creative process continues to be led by the talented individuals in our studios.”

Steam games disclosing the use of generative AI had increased by 800% as of this summer, according to an analysis of generative AI games on Steam by Totally Human, which suggests that nearly 8,000 titles released on Steam now disclose GenAI usage, compared to 1,000 a year ago.

It’s worth noting that although Steam requires games that use generative AI in their development to disclose the use, such disclosures are voluntary, so the actual number of games created using GenAI is likely higher than the 8,000 figure.