Activision testing AI is bad news for Call of Duty fans

Hands up, who actually wanted AI in Warzone? If you're waving in your living room, you're among the minority. The bot-controlled enemies guarding strongholds have become more of a nuisance than a feature to grant better loot.

But, AI doesn't seem to be going anywhere, despite DMZ being a more than popular location for this style of opponent. In fact, AI enemies in Call of Duty might just be about to hit the brain steroids, as Activision is testing more intelligent bots in their other titles, including Overwatch.

Activision is making AI more intelligent

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Online technology is rapidly advancing, meaning AIs are becoming increasingly clever. So it's no surprise that gaming publishers want to see how far they can push their computer-generated NPCs, and Activision is doing just that.

According to the New York Times, Activision is testing out more "generative AI" in games like Diablo, World of Warcraft, and Overwatch.

The programme is named "Blizzard Diffusion" and is supposedly being introduced to help create game art, including creating images and concept art for their franchises, but also contains the parameters to create well-versed NPCs too.

Is more AI bad for Call of Duty?

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Even though the New York Times indicated that the new tools will focus on Activision's other game franchises to start with, it comes as interesting news to learn that the publishers are weighing more reliance on AI, which correlates to their habits in Call of Duty too.

It comes as a double-edged sword for Call of Duty, as more intelligent bots could make for a very interesting campaign in future titles, where the AI can become more than just target practice.

However, if NPCs can evolve in the campaign, they can do so too in multiplayer, which comes as a worry for Warzone fans especially, who have quickly despised them.

With hope, the intelligence will be well-contained in Actvision's grasp, and should Blizzard Diffusion come to Call of Duty, let's pray it's only for the campaign or DMZ.