Call of Duty Black Ops 7 just launched to massive player numbers, but there’s a problem that has the community fired up. The game is absolutely loaded with AI-generated artwork, and players are questioning why they’re paying 70 dollars for a product that feels increasingly cheap despite being the biggest gaming franchise on the planet.
What Players Are Finding
Since Black Ops 7 launched on November 13, 2025, players have been documenting dozens of in-game assets that appear to be AI-generated. The most obvious examples are calling cards, those small reward images you earn for completing challenges. Many of these cards use a distinctive Ghibli-style anime look that became trendy with AI image generators about a year ago.
The worst offender is a calling card called Reeled In, which shows a knight standing next to two villagers pulling in a fish that’s somehow eating his helmet. The image has all the telltale signs of AI generation: weird compositional choices, that glossy AI filter look, and details that don’t quite make sense when you look closely. What makes this sting is that these aren’t just background decorations. These are rewards players earn for accomplishing specific challenges.
Even The Prestige Icons Look Generated
If you’re not familiar with Call of Duty, Prestige icons are a big deal. They’re the ultimate status symbol for dedicated players who grind through multiple progression cycles. These icons should represent the pinnacle of achievement in the game. In Black Ops 7, even these prestigious rewards appear to be AI-generated.
While some Prestige icons look like they might have been touched up slightly by human artists, they still have the characteristic problems of AI art. Over-designed lines, smeared details, and design inconsistencies that scream machine-generated content. For a franchise that makes over a billion dollars every single year, using AI for the game’s most coveted rewards feels like a slap in the face to dedicated players.
This Isn’t The First Time
Call of Duty’s AI art problem didn’t start with Black Ops 7. Last year’s Black Ops 6 featured the now-infamous six-fingered zombie Santa loading screen. Released as part of a holiday event, the image of a zombified Santa Claus featured a hand with six fingers instead of five, one of the most common mistakes in AI-generated images.
Players immediately called it out, but Activision never removed or replaced the image. Before that, Modern Warfare 3 in 2023 included an AI-generated calling card in a 15-dollar cosmetic bundle called Yokai Wrath. The pattern is clear: Activision has been gradually increasing their use of AI-generated content year after year.
Campaign Rewards Are AI Too
What’s particularly frustrating is that almost every calling card related to Black Ops 7’s campaign appears to be AI-generated. This includes rewards for beating the game’s toughest challenges and completing the bizarre endgame scenario. The developers couldn’t even be bothered to commission real artwork to celebrate players completing the single-player experience.
What Activision Is Saying
Activision isn’t denying the use of AI. The game’s Steam page includes a disclaimer stating: “Our team uses generative AI tools to help develop some in game assets.” When contacted by multiple gaming outlets, Activision provided a carefully worded statement saying they use various digital tools, including AI, to “empower and support our teams to create the best gaming experiences possible for our players.” The statement emphasizes that the creative process is still “led by the talented individuals in our studios.”
Miles Leslie, Treyarch’s associate creative director, tried to clarify the studio’s position back in August before Black Ops 7’s release. He claimed that everything in the game is “human-created and touched,” and that AI tools are used to streamline processes, not replace artists. According to Leslie, any AI-generated content that made it into previous games was accidental and never the intention.
However, the sheer volume of AI-generated assets in Black Ops 7 makes it hard to believe these are all accidents or just minor streamlining tools. When your calling cards, prestige icons, and campaign rewards all look generated, that’s not streamlining. That’s replacing human artists with machines.
Why This Feels Like A Ripoff
The fundamental issue isn’t just about AI itself. It’s about value. Call of Duty Black Ops 7 costs 70 dollars. The franchise generates over a billion dollars in revenue every single year. Black Ops 6, the previous entry, made over a billion dollars in its first 10 days alone, making it the highest-grossing Call of Duty game ever.
With that kind of money flowing in, the decision to use AI-generated artwork instead of paying human artists feels like pure greed. Players aren’t paying for AI slop when they buy a game. They’re paying for the creative work of developers, artists, writers, and designers. When AI replaces those artists, customers are still paying full price but getting less value.
This isn’t some struggling indie developer who can’t afford to hire an artist. This is Activision, one of the largest gaming companies in the world, working on the biggest FPS franchise on the planet. They have hundreds of employees across multiple studios. The idea that they need AI to “streamline” the creation of small calling card images is absurd.
The Bigger Picture Problem
The Black Ops 7 situation is part of a larger trend in the gaming industry. Publishers are increasingly turning to AI-generated content to cut costs, even as game prices rise and profits soar. Arc Raiders faced criticism for using AI voices. Silent Hill F got a mobile ripoff that used AI art. The technology is everywhere, and not always in ways that benefit players or the talented people who make games.
What makes AI art particularly problematic in a full-price retail game is that customers have no way to know what they’re buying. The Steam disclaimer is vague and doesn’t specify which assets use AI. Should players be warned before spending COD Points on cosmetic bundles that contain AI-generated artwork? Most would argue yes, but that transparency doesn’t currently exist.
What Happens Next
For now, all the AI-generated assets remain in Black Ops 7. Despite community backlash and widespread documentation of the problem, Activision shows no signs of replacing the questionable artwork with human-created alternatives. The six-fingered zombie Santa from Black Ops 6 still exists in that game too, nearly a year after players first called it out.
The community response will likely determine whether this practice continues to expand. If players keep buying the games and cosmetic bundles despite the AI art, Activision has no financial incentive to change course. But if enough people push back or vote with their wallets, the publisher might reconsider how aggressively they’re implementing these cost-cutting measures.
FAQs
Does Call of Duty Black Ops 7 officially use AI-generated art?
Yes. The game’s Steam page includes a disclaimer stating that the team uses generative AI tools to help develop some in-game assets. Activision has confirmed this in official statements to gaming media, though they emphasize that the creative process is still led by human developers.
Which assets in Black Ops 7 are AI-generated?
Activision hasn’t specified exactly which assets use AI. Players have identified numerous calling cards, particularly those with Ghibli-style anime aesthetics, as well as Prestige icons and campaign-related rewards. Some environmental posters and other visual elements also appear to be AI-generated based on their visual characteristics.
Why is Activision using AI art in a billion-dollar franchise?
Activision claims they use AI tools to streamline development and support their creative teams. Critics argue the real reason is cost-cutting, as AI-generated images cost nothing compared to paying professional artists. Despite the franchise generating over a billion dollars annually, the company appears to be prioritizing profit margins over quality.
Was the six-fingered zombie Santa ever fixed in Black Ops 6?
No. The controversial AI-generated loading screen featuring a zombie Santa with six fingers remains in Black Ops 6 nearly a year after it was first spotted by players in December 2024. Despite Miles Leslie stating the team is actively looking at fixing such issues, it has never been replaced or removed.
Can I get a refund if I don’t want AI art in my game?
Refund eligibility depends on your platform and how long you’ve owned the game. Steam typically allows refunds within 14 days of purchase if you’ve played less than 2 hours. Console refund policies are generally stricter. The presence of AI-generated content alone may not qualify as grounds for a refund under most store policies.
Is AI art always bad in video games?
It’s complicated. Some developers use AI tools as part of their creative process or for early prototyping, which many people find acceptable. The controversy arises when major publishers with massive budgets use AI to replace human artists entirely, especially in full-price products. The ethics depend largely on context, transparency, and whether it’s supplementing or replacing human creativity.
Are other Call of Duty games affected?
Yes. Black Ops 6 and Modern Warfare 3 both featured AI-generated content. Call of Duty Warzone’s Steam page also includes the same AI disclaimer. The trend appears to be increasing with each new release rather than decreasing.
Conclusion
The AI art controversy in Call of Duty Black Ops 7 highlights a troubling trend in AAA gaming. When the biggest franchise in the industry starts cutting corners by replacing human artists with AI-generated content, it raises serious questions about where the 70-dollar price tag is actually going. Players deserve transparency about what they’re buying, and artists deserve to be paid for their work on billion-dollar franchises. Whether Activision will reverse course or double down on AI remains to be seen, but the community has made its feelings abundantly clear.