Call of Duty Developer Addresses AI Controversy in Black Ops Series

Black Ops 7 Dev Asked How AI Slop Gets Into Call Of Duty Games

More slop is making it into games as generative AI tools proliferate It wasn't long after Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launched last year that fans started noticing something weird: a steady stream of loading screens from paid bundles with conspicuous errors that suggested they were AI slop. The most egregious example was a Christmas-themed Santa bundle that included art for a six-fingered zombie. It took months before publisher Activision even began officially acknowledging its use of AI due to Steam's disclosure rules, and the company still hasn't come clean about how AI is used in its games or what the boundaries are. Now the company is gearing up for the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. Can fans expect to see more AI slop sprinkled across the sprawling live-service multiplayer shooter? Treyarch associate creative director, Miles Leslie, was recently asked to clarify the team's position on the controversial subject. "We live in a world now, where there are AI tools,†he told IGN. “I think our official statement we said last year, around Black Ops 6, is that everything that goes into the game is touched by the team a hundred percent. We have generative AI tools to help us, but none of that goes in-game." How does he square that with the fact that bits and pieces of AI-generated slop seem to have slipped into the game anyway? "I'll say it has by accident," he told IGN. "And that was never the intention. We've come out and been very clear that we use these as tools to help the team, but they do not replace any of the fantastic team members we have that are doing the final touches and building that content to put it in the game." Leslie added that the goal is to "streamline" development, not to "replace" any developers. The thousands laid off at Microsoft over the past two years, including staff across various Call of Duty studios, may feel differently. An investigation by Wired last year claimed Activision was already encouraging its developers to use AI for generating concept art, and I've spoken to several artists in the game industry who worry game artists will be the first on the chopping block as studios look to cut costs amid ballooning AAA budgets. A modern Call of Duty likely costs as much as $1 billion to make over the lifetime of the game. And that six-fingered Santa zombie? Still in the game. IGN asked Leslie why it hasn't been removed. "Not my department," he said. "But I know that the team is actively looking at that stuff, making sure that it is not shipped, and how we fix it.â€

The excuse for Call of Duty's AI controversy is a bit ridiculous

The six-fingered zombie Santa in Call of Duty Black Ops 6's Season 1 Reloaded update became infamous as an example of how not to use AI in video game design. It was pilloried online, with gamers blasting the artwork as "unacceptable" - and yet it's still in the game, apparently. It wasn't the first time CoD had faced controversy over AI use, and gamers soon started picking out other suspect assets, making us fear the worst for the upcoming Black Ops 7. Now we finally have the closest thing yet to an explanation from the game's developer Treyarch. But the excuse isn't very convincing. In an interview with IGN, Miles Leslie, Treyarch's Associate Creative Director, stood by the developer's use of AI and insisted that while it uses generative AI tools to streamline game development, "none of that goes in-game." So what happened with the festive zombie? "And then you're going to say, 'Yeah, but it has,'" Miles continued. "I'll say it has by accident. And that was never the intention. We've come out and been very clear that we use these as tools to help the team, but they do not replace any of the fantastic team members we have that are doing the final touches and building that content to put it in the game." Placeholder assets getting accidentally left in a game wouldn't surprise me that much - just see the controversy over the allegedly stolen art in Marathon. But can it be an accident that it's still there eight months later? When pushed on why the image hadn't been removed, Miles was unsure. "Yeah, good question," he said. "Not my department, but I know that the team is actively looking at that stuff, making sure that it is not shipped, and how we fix it." The use of AI in video game development is growing rapidly. Last month, a report found that the number of games on Steam that disclose the use of generative AI rose by 700% in a year, from around 1,000 to almost 8,000 now. That's already 7 per cent of the whole Steam library. Amid layoffs at some major studios, the increasing take up of AI tools is controversial. But the potential applications for generative AI are so broad that it's generating discussion over what AI is acceptable in video games and what isn't. Blatantly AI-generated art is one application that a lot of gamers have set as a line in the sand, whether because of ethics or just because it looks bad and suggests the developer doesn't care about the product. Treyarch should maybe streamline its followup processes if it really found its way into Black Ops 6 by accident.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Dev Responds to Generative AI Backlash: 'Not Replace, but Streamline' - IGN

In February 2025, Activision finally admitted to using generative AI for some Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 assets. Now, ahead of the release of Black Ops 7, Treyarch associate creative director, Miles Leslie, has clarified the Call of Duty developer's position. "We live in a world now, where there are AI tools," Leslie told IGN ahead of Black Ops 7's reveal at Opening Night Live 2025. "I think our official statement we said last year, around Black Ops 6, is that everything that goes into the game is touched by the team a hundred percent. We have generative AI tools to help us, but none of that goes in-game. "And then you're going to say, 'Yeah, but it has.' I'll say it has by accident. And that was never the intention. We've come out and been very clear that we use these as tools to help the team, but they do not replace any of the fantastic team members we have that are doing the final touches and building that content to put it in the game. "So everything you play: human-created and touched. AI tools in the world we live in: it's how do we streamline it? That's really the goal. Not replace, but streamline." Call of Duty has suffered a number of generative AI controversies in recent years, including the now-infamous six-fingered zombie Santa bundle. It remains in Black Ops 6. So, given Leslie's prior answer, why hasn't it and other suspected generative AI images been removed from the game? "Yeah, good question," he responded. "Not my department, but I know that the team is actively looking at that stuff, making sure that it is not shipped, and how we fix it." If a similar situation continues into the freshly revealed Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, it raises the question of whether a disclaimer should be added to bundles that do contain generative AI-created artwork. After all, shouldn't players know what they're buying before dropping their precious COD points on such cosmetics? For now, you can check out my full preview of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. For more from the devs, check out their thoughts on Call of Duty being called "lazy" and the threat of Battlefield 6.