Hideo Kojima has issued a comment on the use of AI after some had criticized his appearance in an AI-generated video for Prada.
Late last month, the legendary developer of the Metal Gear and Death Stranding video game franchises appeared alongside Danish filmmaker Nicholas Winding Refn in a 90-second teaser for Prada Mode, which took over Chelsea Hotel in New York last week. In the video, Kojima and Refn arrive by spaceship at Chelsea Hotel having crash landed on a planet and escaping the clutches of an alien.
The teaser was met with a significant amount of backlash on social media from Kojima fans, some of whom expressed confusion at his appearance in what they called “AI slop.” “Heartbreaking to see such great artists resort to generative AI slop,” one person said. “Really disappointed to see @HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN involved with this bulls**t,” another said. “Hey @HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN I’m a huge fan, love everything you’ve ever done, except for this. Please never involve yourself with AI slop ever again. You’re better than this,” another commented.
While Kojima has yet to address the backlash directly, he spoke generally about AI in an article published on The Washington Post about the Prada takeover of Chelsea Hotel. The 62-year-old said he was “not interested” in AI, insisting he didn’t think he’d see AI create art in his lifetime.
“Art is life. But in 50 years, 100 years, I don’t know. Maybe AI could create art, but while I live, I don’t think I’ll see it. I’m not interested in it,” he said. “We’ll find a good way, a good path to how we use technology, and it’s really up to young people on how we use it.”
The Washington Post reports that Kojima also said AI works best as a ‘janitor for creative chores, and that humans need to stay in the room where art gets made.’ But his latest comments have prompted an appraisal of Kojima’s past on-the-record thoughts about generative AI.
“Rather than having AI create visuals or anything like that, I’m more interested in using AI in the control systems,” Kojima told CNN in December last year. “By using AI, enemy behavior could change based on the player’s experience, actions and patterns. That kind of dynamic response would make much deeper gameplay possible.”
Also last year, Kojima told Wired Japan that he sees “a future where [he stays] one step ahead; creating together with AI.” He even referred to AI as a “friend,” suggesting it could be used to boost efficiency.
In October, Kojima cautioned against the industry’s preoccupation with remaking or expanding existing franchises, telling Rolling Stone it was creatively “dangerous” not to explore new things. He suggested that “in the future, remakes and sequels will be made by AI.”
Ultimately, it sounds like Kojima is indeed interested in AI, but for certain use cases. Using AI for creating art, though, he doesn’t sound particularly interested in that. It will be interesting to see if Kojima uses generative AI for the development of upcoming Xbox game, OD, or upcoming PlayStation game, Physint, and, if so, in which ways.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].