Last month, a generative AI version of Death Stranding 2 director Hideo Kojima appeared in a short promotional movie for a Prada art installation revolving around the famed game developer and movie director Nicolas Winding Refn, who also appeared at the character Heartman in Kojima’s most recent game. The slop left a sour taste in many fans’ mouths. Kojima recently shared his broader view on the controversial technology.
“Art is life,” he told the Washington Post for a profile of the art exhibit. “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 added, “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.”
He was speaking in the context of a profile of the larger event called Satellites II. It’s a successor to a similar event which took place In Tokyo, Japan and acts as a meditation on analog technology, music, and the friendship Kojima and Refn share that transcends language barriers and time zones.
Despite his prolific social media presence and expanding portfolio of creative ventures, Kojima’s relationship to the hot technology of the moment has been difficult to discern. While some developers embrace it and others boycott it, it remains unclear where exactly genAI fits into the Metal Gear Solid creator’s worldview.
“Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear series, a real visionary in our field) was here at Valve talking about his new game [Death Stranding], and he mentioned the importance he places on future work in AI…” Gabe Newell wrote in a recently unearthed email to Elon Musk from 2018. “He was talking about how much he wants to go into space, and I offered to introduce him to you.”
Last fall, in an interview with Wired Japan, Kojima described “a future where [he stays] one step ahead; creating together with AI,” and appeared to refer to the technology as a “friend.” He suggested genAI wouldn’t be used to replace creativity but could be harnessed to “boost efficiency.”
He reiterated that frame to the Washington Post, which reported, “Kojima says AI works best as a janitor for creative chores, and that humans need to stay in the room where art gets made.” Will see what that ends up meaning for his next game, the stealth action-adventure Physint.