No, Modern Warfare 4's Gunny loadout assistant isn't a chatbot, but its developer is using AI elsewhere

“We use whatever tools we have to enhance and help our developers to complete [tasks] on time."

In an attempt to fix the bloated Gunsmith system of recent Call of Duty games, Modern Warfare 4 is introducing a new feature, Gunny. It's a little widget in the bottom right of the loadout screen that you can use to create loadouts for you. For example, it'll say "Hello, I can help you build a weapon when you have more attachments unlocked.

Keep levelling your weapon," if you've got a brand-new weapon. Naturally sceptical of a weird widget that communicates with you, Infinity Ward has been accused of using AI for this new system. In a post which instigated a lot of the uproar, retired Call of Duty leaker TheGhostofHope said: "They got an AI chat bot in the game now to help mfs with their loadouts as if it’s not the same shit used every year."

Infinity Ward fired back, saying "Wrong (again.) Gunny is handcrafted by our developers, not AI. It recommends builds based on the attachments you’ve unlocked for each weapon.

It helps make quick loadout changes between matches. Give it a shot in the Beta." For those out of the loop, that snarky 'again' refers to various incorrect leaks made by Hope which Activision has called out in the past.

There's history. I, for one, am glad that Gunny isn't an AI chatbot that can't play Call of Duty, telling me how to play Call of Duty. Instead, it's effectively just a personified auto-equip button that collates dev-made weapon builds for those players who don't want to create their own, or even search online for player-made setups.

However, it's not the first time that Call of Duty has been accused of using AI. Players had suspected Activision was using AI to generate cosmetics back in Modern Warfare 3 and Black Ops 6, and this was confirmed last year once Valve's mandated AI disclosure appeared on the Call of Duty Steam page. Later that year, Black Ops 7 also came under fire after players found what looked like AI-generated art.

In fact, as reported by Destructoid from a group presentation, Infinity Ward co-studio head Mark Grigsby confirmed that the team is using AI in MW4. “We use whatever tools we have to enhance and help our developers to complete [tasks] on time,” explained Grigsby. “For the game, there’s developmental things.

We use whatever we can, whatever tools we can [in development].” This is backed up by the game's Steam page, which has an AI usage disclosure, reading "Our team uses generative AI tools to help develop some in-game assets." Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.

So, while Gunny thankfully isn't an AI chatbot despite the vibes, its developer certainly is using this maligned tech elsewhere in its creation. I would not be surprised to see more shoddy AI-generated calling cards popping up in premium bundles once again. Rory has made the fatal error of playing way too many live service games at once, and somehow still finding time for everything in between.

Sure, he’s an expert at Destiny 2, Call of Duty, and more, but at what cost? He’s even sunk 1,000 hours into The Elder Scrolls Online over the years. At least he put all those hours spent grinding challenges to good use over the years as a freelancer and guides editor.

In his spare time, he’s also an avid video creator, often breaking down the environmental design of his favourite games. If you can’t track him down, he’s probably lost in a cave with a bunch of dwarves shouting “rock and stone” to no end. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.