Call of Duty Accused of Selling AI-Generated Cosmetic

Summary

Generative AI in gaming raises ethical concerns over originality and job security for industry creatives.
Activision allegedly used AI to design a cosmetic in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, sparking controversy.
According to Wired, some artists at Activision reportedly forced to use AI and sign up for training, raising fears of job displacement.

Call of Duty maker Activision has reportedly sold an in-game cosmetic for Modern Warfare 3 that was designed using generative AI. While many in the games industry have spoken about the possible applications of generative AI as an assistive tool for game development, it has also been contentious among others due to its derivative nature. Generative AI tends to combine elements from existing works instead of producing something wholly original, which leads to an ethical (and possibly legal) gray area for creatives.

The rapid progress of generative AI also poses a threat to the jobs of artists, designers, software engineers, etc., across the games industry. For these reasons, there has been a lot of consternation over implementing generative AI into a foundational level for game development. Many studios and publishers remain on the fence about the prospect, but it appears that one of the biggest companies in the industry, Activision, might already be using generative AI for 2023's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

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By J Brodie Shirey

As per a new report from Wired about the impact of generative AI on careers within the games industry, Activision allegedly "made an AI-generated cosmetic available for purchase" in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's in-game store. The report doesn't specify exactly which cosmetic it refers to, but states that it's part of the Yokai's Wrath bundle which was released in December 2023, and includes an Operator skin, weapon blueprint, calling card, weapon sticker, and a loading screen. It's currently unknown how much of this bundle is AI-generated, with speculation ranging from one or two cosmetics to everything in it.

Activision Reportedly Pushing for More Generative AI Use in Game Art Development

Yokai's Wrath bundle in call of duty modern warfare 3

The Yokai's Wrath bundle was listed for 1,500 COD Points, which converts to $15 USD, and the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 store apparently made no mention of the potential use of generative AI to design the cosmetic. Wired also reportedly learned from an anonymous Activision artist that "a lot of 2D artists" were let go from the company as part of Microsoft's 1,900 layoffs in January 2024, and the ones remaining have been "forced" to utilize generative AI to assist their work. Employees have also allegedly been "made" to sign up for AI training, with Activision seemingly promoting its use across many levels of the business.

Neither Activision nor Microsoft have responded to the claims yet, but many in the games industry haven't taken kindly to the Wired report. Utilizing generative AI to replace creatives has been one of the biggest fears surrounding the technology since its inception, and several companies like Square Enix have realized the implications of generative AI and somewhat backed away from it recently. If Activision is indeed using it to push out artists, one can only wonder how long it might take until other key roles are threatened.

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