Hideo Kojima, the creator of Death Stranding and Metal Gear Solid, told Wired Japan that he sees AI more as a collaborator than a replacement. In the interview he said humans should keep the creative reins while letting AI take care of repetitive work to lower costs and speed up production. You can read more on his recent work in our piece about Kojima using an AI learning rig on Death Stranding 2.
Wired Japan shared the exchange via an Instagram reel, and Kojima’s tone was thoughtful rather than alarmist. The clip appears on Instagram here, and he spoke as someone who has long mixed film and games in his work, you can browse his tag Hideo Kojima for more context.
Kojima framed AI as applicable for the “tedious tasks” that eat budgets and time. He suggested that directors will still pick the best ideas and shape them, while AI acts as a helper. For readers tracking Kojima’s other projects, he’s also the mind behind a live-action Death Stranding movie that adds another layer to how he thinks about storytelling on-screen, and he discussed AI as part of that toolbox rather than a shortcut. The conversation about tools and taste also ties into broader industry coverage under the AI tag.
At one point, Kojima called AI more like a “friend.” He said he would lead the creative part and use AI to boost efficiency, lowering costs and cutting down time. He reiterated his preference for “co-creating with AI” over outsourcing authorship entirely, an idea he has previously discussed in other interviews about his creative process.
Other industry voices paint a different picture. Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino has suggested that a large portion of coding work is already AI-assisted in recent comments, while Nier Automata director Yoko Taro has warned AI could lead to widespread job losses in his view. Those different takes help explain why the conversation remains active among developers and fans.
Fans’ responses have been mixed, from distrustful calls for more specifics to notes of faith that Kojima won’t sacrifice the human element in his work. It’s a conversation worth having, and readers are welcome to share thoughts below.
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