Activision responds to complaints about AI-generated assets in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7

Activision Blizzard has issued a statement in response to player outcry over the apparent use of generative AI art assets in multiple areas of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.

Players have been taking to social media today to complain about what they believe are artificial intelligence-generated images in the game, focusing primarily on a business card image they claim appears to use a Studio Ghibli style, below AI-Ghibli images trending earlier this year.

I haven't really looked closely at the multiplayer and zombies cards, I'd be willing to bet they're using AI on those cards as well, but it's just the campaign and endgame cards, which is this blatant Sora/Grok art style pic.twitter.com/5qmEXhoQkJ

— Kumesicles (@Kumesicles) November 14, 2025

In response to the outcry, Activision has issued a statement to multiple media outlets, including computer gamerswhich acknowledged the problem…sort of: “Like many around the world, we use a variety of digital tools, including artificial intelligence tools, to empower and support our teams to create the best gaming experiences for our players. Our creative process continues to be led by the talented people across our studios.”

It's worth pointing out that the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Steam page also contains the following disclaimer: “Our team uses generative AI tools to help develop some game assets.” Not quite a description!

This isn't the first time Call of Duty has been criticized for this, either. this The exact scene played out back in FebruaryActivision Blizzard has admitted to using generative artificial intelligence in the development of Black Ops 6, including in a zombie Santa loading screen that angry fans are calling an “AI slop.”

Then, Just this past AugustBlack Ops 7 associate creative director Miles Leslie further clarified the team's stance on the technology:

“We now live in a world with AI tools. I think the official statement we made last year with Black Ops 6 was that everything in the game was 100 percent touched by the team. We had generative AI tools to help us, but none of that was baked into the game.

“And then you're like, 'Yeah, but it's true.' I'd say that was accidental. That was never our intention. We've made it clear that we use these as tools to help the team, but they don't replace any of the great team members that we have who are putting the finishing touches and building the content to put it into the game.

“So everything you play: is created and touched by humans. The AI ​​tools in the world we live in: How do we simplify it? That's the real goal. Not to replace, but to simplify.”

In response to IGN asking why zombie Santas and other generated AI imagery haven't been removed from the game yet, Leslie said it's not his department and that “the team is actively working on this stuff.” It's unclear if, why or how Activision Blizzard's stance on this has changed over time.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is now available. We've tried this activity but weren't completely obsessed, What our reviewers say “It was a wild shot because of its ambition, but the huge swings it experienced didn't always materialize, leaving it with an uneven decline compared to last year.”

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter at IGN. You can find her posts at BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Have a story tip? Send it to [email protected].