The Prada Teaser and the "AI Slop" Backlash
The controversy began when Prada released a 90-second promotional video for its Satellites II art exhibition at the Hotel Chelsea in New York. The short film—directed by Kojima’s longtime friend and filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn (who also provided the likeness for the character Heartman in Death Stranding)—featured generative AI versions of both Kojima and Refn traversing a surreal sci-fi landscape, encountering a giant space kaiju, and crash-landing on an alien world.
While the film was intended as a retro, campy nod to old-school sci-fi exploitation cinema, fans of the director were quick to voice their disappointment online. Many labeled the video "AI slop," expressing confusion that a director renowned for his intricate, deeply human, and prophetic warnings about technological overreach would license his likeness for generative video. Fans pointed back to Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, a game that famously predicted the dangers of algorithmic control and digital disinformation, questioning why Kojima was associating with the technology.
Kojima Responds: "Humans Need to Stay in the Room"
Speaking to The Washington Post during a profile on the New York art exhibit, Kojima addressed his perspective on the technology, clarifying that he does not view AI as a creative force.
“Art is life,” Kojima said. “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. 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.”
Reports indicate that Kojima views AI less as an artist and more as a "janitor for creative chores," maintaining that human beings must remain fully in control of the actual artistic process.
The Role of AI in Kojima's Future Projects
While Kojima rejects the idea of generative AI replacing human writers, artists, or actors, he is not entirely anti-technology. In past interviews with outlets like CNN and Wired Japan, he has outlined exactly where he believes the technology belongs in game development: system logistics and efficiency.
Rather than using AI to generate visual assets or dialogue scripts, Kojima has expressed strong interest in implementing AI within game control mechanics. He has previously noted that advanced algorithmic systems could be used to dynamically alter enemy AI behavior based on a player’s unique playstyle, habits, and experience—creating a much deeper, more reactive gameplay loop.
How these philosophies will manifest remains to be seen as Kojima Productions pushes forward with its incredibly busy slate, which includes:
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach (which recently launched its PC version)
OD, an upcoming horror game in partnership with Xbox Game Studios
Physint, a highly anticipated return to the cinematic stealth-action genre in collaboration with PlayStation.
For now, the auteur's stance is definitive: technology should serve to optimize the pipeline, but the soul of the game will always require a human touch.
