'Video games are cooked' — founder of No More Robots condemns gen AI in gaming and says 'from a publisher perspective, it's mega annoying'

• The founder of No More Robots has condemned gen AI usage in video games
• Mike Rose stated that 'video games are cooked' as numerous games are now using AI-generated content
• Rose believes gen AI is here to stay, and unfortunately, 'our feelings on it don't matter'

The backlash against generative AI, and indeed all forms of AI used in video games, has only intensified, and gamers aren't the only ones condemning it, especially since the unveiling of Nvidia's DLSS 5 — publishers and developers are getting in on the act, too.

As reported by GamesRadar, the founder of indie game publisher No More Robots, Mike Rose, has slammed the use of gen AI in games, particularly gen AI used to make in-game content or art, and he believes there's no going back.

While not directly referencing DLSS 5, Rose wasn't shy about sharing negative thoughts on gen AI, saying: "From a publisher perspective specifically, it's mega annoying. If we thought the number of games being launched on Steam was crazy before, now it's just impossible.

"During the last [Steam] Next Fest, it seemed like around 1/3 of the demos had either AI-generated key art and/or AI-generated content. So now we have that to compete with too. Hurray!"

Normalization of AI in games

If you think Rose might be exaggerating here, remember that generative AI has been evident in recent games like Crimson Desert (with the in-game wall art, even if it was unintentional), and has been notably present in bigger titles like Activision's Call of Duty Black Ops 7.

That means big-name games, as well as indie titles (as observed by Rose), are using gen AI, and gradually making AI tools more normalized in the games industry — and that's not a good thing in my opinion, especially after seeing what DLSS 5 does to in-game character models.

"Honestly, don't you think it's just so gross-looking?" Rose says, directly addressing the look of gen AI art. He continues: "It doesn't matter that a bunch of us don't like gen AI. It's gonna get used now, and it'll get used more and more. As the kids say: video games are cooked."

With DLSS 5's launch set for later in 2026 and gaming giants like Capcom and Ubisoft on board, the evidence of what Rose claims is clear. The games industry is arguably already at a stage of gen AI use whereby there's no conceivable return to normality — although the backlash is clearly growing, which may be of some comfort to those against the tech.

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