Black Ops 7 under fire for use of alleged AI artwork

Players are already calling out what looks suspiciously like low-quality AI-generated graphics in everything from challenge rewards to the campaign.
Text: Marcus Persson
Published 2025-11-16

This probably won't come as a surprise. The latest Call of Duty game appears to contain AI-generated graphics that also don't look particularly good, and people aren't happy about it. Just a few hours after the game's release, players began sharing screenshots of graphics in the game that they believe are AI-generated slop. And it's hard not to agree.

There are clear signs of several images being AI-generated, including a cartoon figure that seems to have six fingers, eyes that don't match up, and some other oddities that are usually associated with AI. It's also worth keeping in mind that all of this is meant to be rewards you get for completing challenges, which makes it even more depressing.

Other players have shared screenshots of what appears to be AI-generated graphics in the Black Ops 7 campaign, which this year is entirely online and designed around multiplayer. Of course, we can't know for sure which graphics in the latest Call of Duty were created by humans, which were generated by a machine, and which are a combination where humans have touched up lousy generated images.

Activision themselves has chosen to respond to the criticism. They claim that, just like so many others around the world, they use a variety of digital tools, including AI tools, to give their teams the ability to create the best possible gameplay experiences for their players and that their creative process continues to be led by the talented individuals that make up their studios.

"We've come out and been very clear that we use these [AI tools] as tools to help the team, but they do not replace any of the fantastic team members we have that are doing the final touches and building that content to put it in the game."'

What are your thoughts on AI-imagery being used as rewards?

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