Hideo Kojima Declares He’s Done With AI

Last month, a generative‑AI rendition of Death Stranding 2 director Hideo Kojima made an unexpected cameo in a short promotional film for a Prada art installation that celebrated the famed game developer and film director Nicolas Winding Refn, who also lent his voice to the character Heartman in Kojima’s latest title.

The appearance left many fans unsettled, prompting Kojima to share his broader perspective on the controversial technology.

“Art is life,” he told the Washington Post during a profile of the 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, the successor to a similar gathering in Tokyo that explores analog technology, music, and the enduring friendship between Kojima and Refn 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 remains ambiguous. While some developers embrace it and others boycott it, it is still unclear where exactly generative AI fits into the Metal Gear Solid creator’s worldview.

In a recently resurfaced 2018 email, Gabe Newell revealed that Hideo Kojima—renowned for the Metal Gear saga—had stopped by Valve to discuss his forthcoming title, Death Stranding, and to highlight the pivotal role he envisions for artificial intelligence in future projects.

During a fall interview with Wired Japan, Kojima painted a picture of a future where he remains a step ahead, collaborating closely with AI. He described the technology as a “friend,” emphasizing that generative AI should augment, not replace, human creativity, serving instead to streamline production.

Echoing this sentiment in a Washington Post interview, Kojima reiterated that AI functions best as a janitor for routine tasks, insisting that the heart of artistic creation must remain firmly in human hands. The implications of this stance will become clearer as his next stealth‑action adventure, Physint, moves closer to release.