AI Art: The New Picasso or Just a High-Tech Doodler?
Ah, the gaming world, where players arm themselves with the latest gadgets and dive into virtual mayhem, only to be greeted by a peculiar twist: generative AI art. Enter Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, which has recently become the poster child for this curious phenomenon; a masterpiece of a game, now allegedly featuring artwork that has been co-piloted by artificial intelligence.
Microsoft’s brainchild, Activision, has made a splash with their new entry on the Steam page, revealing they use “generative AI tools to help develop some in-game assets.” However, it’s as if they were carefully avoiding the “where” and “how” like a magician dodging awkward questions at a children’s birthday party.
Reddit Goes Wild
Social media has its detective hats on, too. Reddit and Twitter have sparked lively debates over the artwork in Black Ops 7, primarily focusing on the calling cards. Some users are hopping aboard the AI bandwagon while others are more skeptical, expressing their dissatisfaction that a top-tier game would take such an approach.
One particularly disgruntled player lamented, “It honestly sucks that they have to basically use AI because Treyarch specifically has some amazing artists working at the studio.” It’s baffling, isn’t it? Human artistry overshadowed by algorithms that can probably doodle a stick figure in two seconds flat.
Another voiced a valid concern for the future of humanity in creative fields: “We’re getting to the point that we’re just going to have to accept that AI art is here to stay and that sucks for the talented artists out there.” Talk about a mood killer right before a double-header gaming night!
A High-Tech Dilemma
To add fuel to the fire, a tweet from the ever-eloquent Pirat_Nation didn’t hold back: “Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 uses a large amount of AI-generated artwork across core assets (calling cards, posters, reward icons) instead of human-crafted art—despite being a major blockbuster title charging full price.” So, full price for a game and wall art provided by robots? Sounds like a great deal—or a sci-fi horror story yet to be filmed.
AI: The Future or Just a Trend?
In an official statement that could give a corporate robot a run for its money in the jargon department, Activision reassured fans of their use of AI tools without specifying the details of its actual applications. “Like so many around the world, we use a variety of digital tools, including AI tools, to empower and support our teams to create the best gaming experiences possible for our players. Our creative process continues to be led by the talented individuals in our studios.” Clever wording; it’s as if “creative” was a carefully chosen buzzword in a modern-day renaissance.
Shockingly, the trends don’t stop there. According to research by Totally Human, the number of Steam games announcing the use of generative AI has skyrocketed by 800%. Yes, that’s not a typo—800%. With nearly 8,000 titles disclosing GenAI usage compared to just 1,000 a year prior, a vast alcove of future games could have more robotic arms than a sci-fi convention.
It’s essential to understand that while Steam mandates the disclosure of AI usage in game development, that disclosure remains voluntary. The real number of games riding the AI wave may well be higher than the official tallies. Hold onto your controllers, folks; the rise of the machines might finally be upon us—and they’re learning to paint!
