Community Divided: Players Upset Over AI-Generated Art in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7

The game Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has faced a backlash as some players believe that generative AI was employed to create artwork for the cards displayed in player profiles.

Activision previously noted on the game’s Steam page that they utilized “generative AI tools for the development of certain in-game materials.” However, they did not specify which elements were crafted using these neural networks.

After the launch, players on Reddit and social media claimed to have identified the application of AI, suggesting that it was the images on the business cards.

The community’s response has been mixed. Some argue that such tools will inevitably become a part of the gaming industry. Others expressed disappointment over the use of automated generation in a large and costly project.

“It’s just disappointing—they have to resort to using AI when Treyarch has such amazing artists,” commented one Reddit user. “We’re approaching a point where we have to accept that AI-created art is here to stay, and that’s terrible for talented artists,” remarked another commenter.

In a comment to CharlieIntel, the publisher again confirmed the use of artificial intelligence but declined to clarify if it was related to the artwork on the business cards.

It’s worth noting that the previous entry in the enduring series— Call of Duty: Black Ops 6—also faced criticism for AI-generated content. During that release, a loading screen featuring a six-fingered zombie Santa Claus became the focal point of gamer dissatisfaction.

Interest in generative tools within the gaming sector is on the rise. According to Totally Human, the number of games on Steam acknowledging the use of AI has surged by 800% over the past year—from about a thousand to nearly eight thousand. This figure only accounts for officially declared cases, as disclosure remains voluntary, making the true number of projects utilizing AI likely higher.

Players can obtain the mentioned business cards in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 on PC

(Steam, Microsoft Store, Battle.net)

, Xbox, and PlayStation. The game is also available through the Game Pass subscription at the Ultimate and PC Game Pass tiers. A Russian text localization is available.