Game developers started using AI in their visuals so you can expect some more hallucinations soon

In January, last year, Steam issued a requirement note for developers to disclose any AI content usage within their titles. However, not all the developers aligned with this request. Recently, gamers spotted a 6 finger character in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and reported the hilarious appearance on Reddit and Steam.

After that event, Activision was forced to include a disclaimer in the footnote of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 on Steam saying that: Our team uses generative AI tools to help develop some in game assets.

Of course, this started a whole hunt for AI-generated content in CoD: Black Ops 6, and users posted plenty of them again on Reddit:

A comment from the user cyansusg on this thread describes the overall tone of the reactions to this Activision move:

It shows laziness and no inspiration. Unlike artist who use AI as a tool, they’re just using it because they don’t want to spend time or money on hiring game artist. If they did hire an actual artist for this then they deserve to get fired.

Other users generated AI negative comments on Steam using ChatGPT in a sarcastic protest.

Well, at this point, I have to remind you that Activision was acquired by Microsoft in 2023 for $69 billion. Not long after, the software giant cut a huge number of jobs (approximately 2,000) just for this division.

We don’t know for sure whether the developer was pushed towards using AI in their titles as a consequence. However, it’s also true that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is not a cheap game. The gamers are entitled to demand a high-quality content level for their $80 purchase.

As I mentioned in the title, we can expect a lot of AI content in games. Automating graphics as well as NPCs, music, and other elements will probably become a common practice for developers. However, right now, AI is far from perfect in any aspect. The really lazy act here is to miss some basic checks such as inspecting them for such anomalies.

A 6 finger character in a game may be hilarious, but that will destroy the game’s immersion and credibility. Nevertheless, you may think twice about trusting the developer again.

All you can do about it is to look in the game description for such disclaimers and notify Steam if you find Ai content in games that didn’t post any on their page.

We’ve learned about this from CNET. If you’ve spotted any other anomalies and AI-generated hallucinations in games, let us know in the comments below.