TLDR: Miles Leslie, Associate Creative Director at Treyarch, has clarified the studio’s stance on generative AI in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, stating that AI tools are used to ‘streamline’ human-created art rather than replace developers. This comes amidst ongoing backlash and past controversies, such as the ‘six-fingered zombie Santa’ in Black Ops 6. Leslie affirmed that all in-game content is ‘human-created and touched,’ with AI serving purely as an assistive tool. The studio is also actively addressing and removing any unintended AI-generated assets that may have shipped previously.
In the lead-up to the highly anticipated release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Treyarch’s Associate Creative Director, Miles Leslie, has publicly addressed the ongoing controversy surrounding the use of generative AI in game development. Speaking to IGN ahead of Black Ops 7’s reveal at Opening Night Live 2025, Leslie emphasized that AI tools are primarily employed to ‘streamline’ the creative process for human artists, not to replace them.
Leslie reiterated the official statement made by Activision in February 2025, following admissions of generative AI use in some Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 assets. He stated, “Everything that goes into the game is touched by the team a hundred percent. We have generative AI tools to help us, but none of that goes in-game.”
When pressed on instances where AI-generated content might have inadvertently appeared in previous titles, such as the infamous ‘six-fingered zombie Santa’ bundle in Black Ops 6, Leslie acknowledged the possibility. “And then you’re going to say, ‘Yeah, but it has.’ I’ll say it has by accident. And that was never the intention,” he explained.
He further clarified the studio’s commitment to human artistry: “We’ve come out and been very clear that we use these 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. So everything you play: human-created and touched. AI tools in the world we live in: it’s how do we streamline it? That’s really the goal. Not replace, but streamline.”
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Regarding the persistent presence of controversial AI-generated elements like the zombie Santa in Black Ops 6, Leslie indicated that while it’s ‘not my department,’ the team is ‘actively looking at that stuff, making sure that it is not shipped, and how we fix it.’ This ongoing scrutiny raises questions about potential disclaimers for future cosmetic bundles in Black Ops 7, ensuring players are fully aware of the content they are purchasing.
