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Ro Khanna Urges AI Rules After Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Art Backlash

Activision acknowledges using AI tools in Black Ops 7 without identifying specific assets.

Overview

  • The California congressman called for regulations to keep AI from eliminating jobs, proposing worker profit sharing and a tax on mass displacement while reiterating he does not seek an AI ban.
  • Players flagged what they say are generative AI calling cards and other visible assets, igniting criticism of the game's reliance on image-generation tools.
  • Activision said AI tools are used to support development and that human teams lead the creative process, but it has not disclosed which in-game items were created with AI or announced replacements.
  • Backlash has fed into poor user sentiment, with reports noting the series’ lowest user score on Metacritic to date and a 42% positive Steam rating at the time of coverage.
  • The dispute lands as publishers expand AI use across workflows, with Square Enix planning to replace 70% of QA with generative AI and companies like Krafton and EA signaling broader AI-first strategies.