Hideo Kojima has described his approach to artificial intelligence in game development, saying he prefers to treat it as a collaborator rather than a replacement for creative work.
Today the term “AI” often conjures up low-effort images, synthetic voice clips and viral videos swamping social feeds. The games storefronts aren’t immune either — a steady stream of cheaply produced titles that mimic more successful games appears on platforms like Steam, the PlayStation Store and the Nintendo eShop. With so much poor-quality output, it’s easy to overlook practical ways AI can actually help development instead of just generating novelty content.
Kojima, speaking in comments shared online and discussed by Wired, says he sees AI as “a friend” in the creative process. He explained that while many creators use AI to generate ideas, his preference is to remain the primary creative lead and use AI to improve efficiency. In his view AI should take on repetitive, time-consuming tasks to reduce costs and speed workflows — more co-creator than originator.
Put simply, Kojima advocates using AI where it adds real value — streamlining production and handling tedious tasks — rather than relying on generative outputs for core creative elements like art, voice performances or narrative. That suggests future Kojima projects are unlikely to be flooded with low-quality, AI-generated assets; instead AI may simply help those games ship faster.
Kojima also noted that attending the Osaka World’s Fair 55 years ago was instrumental to the creation of Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding.
