Infinity Ward Denies Claims of AI Chatbot in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4
Infinity Ward, the developer behind the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, has responded to claims that the game features an AI chatbot. The controversy began when a screenshot of the game’s new Gunsmith feature went viral on social media, showing a character named Gunny that some fans compared to Microsoft’s animated paperclip assistant, Clippy.
However, Infinity Ward has denied the claims, stating that Gunny is not an AI chatbot but rather a feature designed to help players quickly create builds based on their playstyle and unlocked attachments. According to Infinity Ward, Gunny is hand-crafted by the studio’s developers and recommends builds based on the attachments a player has unlocked for each weapon.
In a blog post, Activision described Gunny as ‘a Gunnery Sergeant’s eye to weapon customization.’ The feature allows players to instantly configure close-, mid-, or long-range builds tailored to different approaches to combat. Gunny can be accessed by pressing the RT button in the Gunsmith menu.
The controversy surrounding Gunny began after a fan shared a screenshot of the feature on social media, with some users joking that it was Call of Duty’s take on Clippy. The Ghost of Hope, a former Call of Duty leaker, also chimed in, stating that the game features an AI chatbot to help players with their loadouts. Infinity Ward’s response was quick, with the developer stating that Gunny is ‘hand crafted by our developers, not AI.’
Activision has faced criticism in the past for its use of AI in the Call of Duty series. The company used generative AI to build in-game assets for both Black Ops 6 and 7, and was called out by fans for Black Ops 6’s infamous six-fingered zombie Santa. The controversy surrounding Gunny is just the latest in a series of issues that have faced the Call of Duty series in recent years.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is set to launch on October 23, 2026, for Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Battle.net. The game will also be available on Xbox on PC, Steam, and Nintendo Switch 2.
