Hideo Kojima Talks Openly About Using Artificial Intelligence in Video Games

10 Sep Hideo Kojima Talks Openly About Using Artificial Intelligence in Video Games

Hideo Kojima has shared his thoughts on the role of AI in the future of video game creation. During a panel with filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn—who also portrayed Heartman in Death Stranding—Kojima highlighted the importance of this technology in the development of the industry.

“Video games have always revolved around technology,” said the Japanese designer, according to Rolling Stone. To illustrate his point, he compared the youth of gaming to cinema: “Movies started 120 years ago, and video games are only about 50. In that time, we’ve experienced three technological revolutions.”

Kojima explained that the first major transformation was the leap from 2D to 3D graphics, exemplified by the visual evolution of his own protagonist, Solid Snake. The second revolution, he added, was the arrival of the internet and online gaming, which changed the way players connect globally.

For Kojima, however, the third major change is happening right now: the rise of artificial intelligence in game development. “The current trend is that AI is being incorporated into game creation. And it’s not just ChatGPT: these tools learn from how players interact. I think that’s the key we’ll be able to leverage,” Kojima said.

The designer even revealed that he has already experimented with these technologies in Death Stranding 2. Specifically, he used a machine learning system to recreate the likeness of Refn and other celebrities in the game. However, he remained cautious about the results: “It was just an experiment, and I’d say it came out ‘acceptable.’ Nothing still beats analog work.”