Call of Duty’s AI Skin Controversy Explained

Highlights

Call of Duty’s parent company Activision is allegedly using generative AI like GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 in its games.
Reports indicate that Modern Warfare 3’s Yokai cosmetic bundle was created at least in part using AI.
The use of AI in game development could lead to job losses for writers, artists, and programmers, impacting creativity and human expression in gaming.

Call of Duty is a goliath in the world of mainstream gaming. Its annual release schedule, while regularly criticized, has allowed it to retain relevance over an extended period, and its Warzone free-to-play mode has transformed the franchise into a quasi-live-service entity, drawing in countless players every month. Naturally, this means that Call of Duty is often in the spotlight, with no shortage of attention being drawn to any potential controversies or questionable decisions.

This is precisely what is happening now, as a recent report from Wired alleges that Call of Duty parent company Activision has been making a thinly veiled push toward artificial intelligence in its flagship franchise. The exposé contains testimonies from various AAA developers, while quoting internal emails from Activision promoting the use of AI in its games. AI, specifically generative AI that utilizes GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 architecture, seems poised to threaten the work of countless skilled workers across the gaming space, as writers, artists, and programmers are now faced with the real possibility of losing their jobs in an industry that has long been growing hostile toward workers rights. These concerns are embodied by the allegation that a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 cosmetic was made, at least in part, with generative AI.

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Why Call of Duty’s Alleged AI Use Is a Big Deal

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s Yokai Bundle Was Reportedly Made Using AI

In its report, Wired claims that MW3’s Yokai’s Wrath bundle from last December was made with generative AI. It’s not clear which part of the bundle was supposedly made with AI, as the kit includes several elements, such as an Operator skin and weapon blueprint. The skin was sold for $15 USD in MW3’s in-game store, which makes no mention of it being made with generative AI. Wired’s report also claims that Activision’s 2D artists are being “forced” to use AI, following mass layoffs within these teams.

The recent explosion of generative AI technology over the past few years has caused plenty of concern among creatives in virtually every industry. While companies like Nintendo have made statements about AI that suggest a bearish or conservative approach, other companies have been either silent or outwardly enthusiastic about the technology’s potential. Certainly, generative AI is impressive tech, but it stands to benefit large corporations rather than the interests of individuals. Indeed, artificial intelligence, as it is coming to be known, might help companies save money at the cost of real people and creativity.

AI Art in Gaming Comes at a Serious Cost

AI poses an obvious risk to the careers and livelihoods of the creative minds behind video games. A for-profit company, especially one that is publicly traded, has a marked interest in reducing operating costs, which in turn increases profit and market growth. In other words, mammoth companies like Activision don’t shy away from mass layoffs, slashing the costs associated with human labor. If these companies view generative AI as a way to offset this loss of talent, making game assets in a more cost-effective way, they will almost certainly chase this strategy—an approach to business that seems remarkably cynical and short-sighted.

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For those that consider games works of art—which should be everyone who consumes games—this prospect is startling and depressing. Aside from the very real human cost of replacing artists with AI, the notion that games could gradually become patchwork projects, melding human labor with elements that are wholly computer-generated, turns games into profit-generating machines instead of venues for creative expression and entertainment. This adulteration of what many consider to be a meaningful form of media has sparked a landslide of negative reactions to AI generation from consumers, which has perhaps prompted companies like Square Enix to pivot its stance on generative AI.

AI’s Possible Future in Game Development

It’s worth comparing these Call of Duty allegations to Square Enix’s statements about generative AI this summer. In June of this year, the Final Fantasy publisher said that it has “introduced a flow whereby AI-related tools are used internally only after being properly examined.” This implementation of AI as a development tool, used to aid game creation rather than replace it, is much less contentious than the idea of actual video game art being created, either entirely or mostly, with AI.

So, Activision reportedly generating game assets with AI, and selling these assets for what many would consider to be an exorbitant price, is understandably controversial. Whether they realize it or not, most people want their media to come from human minds and talent, not from an advanced computer program. Human creativity is what makes video games engaging, entertaining, and surprising, and generative AI is viewed as inherently formulaic and uninspired, making for a worse overall product at best, and a misleading sales proposition at worst.

Call of Duty’s Alleged AI Content Could Be the Tip of the Iceberg

It’s clear that the games industry will have to contend with AI generation moving forward: recent releases like Foamstars are confirmed to use some AI art, and the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike is a direct response to the burgeoning implementation of generative AI in gaming. This shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone tuned into the worlds of gaming or tech news, but this instance of Call of Duty possibly incorporating generative AI puts a fine point on the issue.

For all the criticism it receives, Call of Duty is an undeniably huge franchise, arguably the most significant and popular franchise in the gaming market. There’s a real fear that if Call of Duty can ‘get away’ with selling an AI-generated skin, then any franchise, big or small, can do the same. A world where art of any kind is being increasingly developed with generative AI, which is trained on the work of real, human artists, is a worrying prospect, both for those that make art and those that consume it. This is why the Call of Duty AI reports are concerning: it could set a bad precedent, and it’s indicative of the ever-encroaching threat of technology replacing human work, making less compelling art in the process.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023)

Released in November of 2023, Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023) continues Captain Price’s story from the 2019 and 2022 games.

Released November 10, 2023

ESRB M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Use of Drugs

How Long To Beat 5 Hours

PS Plus Availability N/A

Split Screen Orientation Horizontal Only

Local Co-Op Support 1-2 Players

Cross-Platform Play PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S

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