Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 came under intense fire last week, with players and developers alike criticising Activision Blizzard's use of generative AI to produce many of the game's calling cards. Now, US Congressman Ro Khanna has weighed in on the furore, calling for proper regulations on AI use in the wake of the controversy.
Responding to the social media post that triggered the debate on X (via Eurogamer) Khanna stated: "We need regulations that prevent companies from using AI to eliminate jobs to extract greater profits. Artists at these companies need to have a say in how AI is deployed. They should share in the profits. And there should be a tax on mass displacement."
This is not a new position for Khanna, who has been calling for regulations on how generative AI is both created and deployed in the US. In an interview with the Verge last year, Khanna provided a detailed explanation of his position on AI. He criticised both the datasets genAI systems are trained upon, pointing out that models up to that point had been "trained with generative AI on everything on the Internet without necessarily distinguishing what is true from false", as well as how the technology makes it easier to spread misinformation, and the potential labour issues arising from it.
We need regulations that prevent companies from using AI to eliminate jobs to extract greater profits.Artists at these companies need to have a say in how AI is deployed.They should share in the profits. And there should be a tax on mass displacement. https://t.co/uU2tmt8pDJNovember 14, 2025
It's worth noting Khanna's position on AI isn't wholly negative. He cited potentially beneficial use for AI, pointing out that "There was someone in India actually using AI to have a politician speak in 20 different dialects. That could be a positive use of AI— Ro Khanna speaking in Spanish and speaking in Tagalog and speaking in Hindi across my constituency." But he pointed out that in such cases, viewers should be made aware that "that’s AI generated and that’s not really me speaking."
Activision responded to the furore surrounding its use of generative AI late last week, stating that it uses "a variety of digital tools, including AI tools to empower and support our teams to create the best gaming experiences possible for our players" adding that its "creative process continues to be led by the talented individuals in our studios."
This hasn't stopped criticisms of Black Ops 7 from flowing in, however, with the shooter currently sitting at the lowest user Metacritic score for any Call of Duty game so far. Meanwhile, Black Ops 7's Steam rating currently sits at 42% positive at the time of writing, with players criticising its "Terrible campaign" and "boring and repetitive" Endgame mode alongside Activision's use of AI generated art. PC Gamer's Morgan Park agrees the game is flawed, though he praised its loosening of skill-based matchmaking in competitive multiplayer.
