Activision, like numerous other game developers, utilizes AI technologies to create its games, including entries in the Call of Duty series. With Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 coming up this year, associate creative director Miles Leslie has clarified Activision’s stance on AI for the CoD series.
He told IGN 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.”
If content created at least in part by generative AI tools has made its way into past Call of Duty games, that was “by accident,” Leslie said. He may be referring to the multiple instances of AI-generated content in Call of Duty that fans have spotted over the years. For what it’s worth, Activision has acknowledged that its development teams do in fact use “generative AI tools” as a means to “help develop some in-game assets.”
Leslie went on to say that Activision has been “very clear” in saying that its teams use AI technologies to “help the team” but not as a means to “replace any of the fantastic team members” who are building content for Call of Duty.
An anonymous source within Activision told Wired in 2024 concept artists working on Call of Duty were “forced to use AI to aid in their work.” The report added that “a lot of 2D artists” got laid off in early 2024 as part of Microsoft’s wider job cuts, though whether or not this had anything to do with AI is unknown.
Whatever the case, Leslie claimed that everything in Call of Duty is “human-created and touched.”
Regarding any possible AI-created content that made its way into Call of Duty outside of what was supposed to ship, Leslie said, “Not my department.” He added that Activision’s teams are “looking at that stuff” and trying to ensure these issues don’t come up again.
Leslie went on to say that AI tools are now “in the world we live in” and Activision is not going to stop using them. Instead, the company aims to help “streamline” game development using AI and not replace humans.
A survey of game developers globally found that a majority of studios are using AI technologies to build games, despite concerns from workers.
AI has been a controversial topic in video games and beyond, in part over fears about job losses. Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson has said th erise in AI will lead to job losses in the short term but will ultimately create more jobs total, just like what happened with previous labor revolutions.
Microsoft recently laid off thousands, including deep cuts at Xbox. One affected studio was Candy Crush developer King, with some affected staff saying they were replaced by the AI tools they helped design.
Black Ops 7 launches on November 14, 2025 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. The game will also be available at launch on Game Pass, and a multiplayer beta is set to begin in October.
