Hideo Kojima Has Some Unexpected Thoughts About AI, and His Take Is Very on Brand

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In typical Hideo Kojima fashion, the legendary creator of Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding has bypassed the standard industry debate over AI-generated art to offer a take that is both philosophically dense and uniquely focused on the “feel” of play.

As of late December 2025, Kojima has clarified that while he views AI as a “friend,” he has zero interest in using it to create visuals. Instead, he wants to use it to read your habits and train a game to entertain an AI.

1. The “Personalized” Controller: AI as a Handshake

In a series of December 2025 interviews (including with Nikkei Xtrend and Wired Japan), Kojima explained that his primary interest in AI lies in control systems.

The Problem: Currently, games are “fixed”—every player uses the same physics and input lag.
The Kojima Solution: He envisions a system where AI studies how you specifically move a thumbstick or press buttons. The AI would then “compensate” for your unique habits, adjusting the game’s responsiveness in real-time so that the connection between your brain and the character feels “analog” and perfect, regardless of your skill level.

2. “I’ll make a game FOR AI”

Kojima dropped a classic “Kojima-ism” by stating that he doesn’t just want to use AI to make games; he wants to make a game where the target audience is an AI.

The Teaching Material: He described a future project (possibly linked to the Xbox-exclusive OD) that serves as a “teaching material” for AI.
The Goal: A game that trains an AI to understand human emotion, fear, and logic by interacting with it. “At the moment, AI doesn’t know much… in five or 10 years’ time, I expect AI to break into many different worlds,” he remarked, suggesting a game that evolves as the AI “learning” it becomes more sophisticated.

3. The “MGS2” Correction: It Wasn’t About AI

With Metal Gear Solid 2 turning 24 years old, Kojima took the opportunity to correct a long-standing fan theory. While fans have praised the game for “predicting” AI control, Kojima clarified:

“MGS2 is often mistaken for a story about AI, but it’s about digital society… I didn’t predict [this era], but rather a future I didn’t desire, but unfortunately we’re heading there.”

He explained that his real fear wasn’t machines taking over, but data gaining a will of its own—where the sheer volume of “junk data” and social media noise paralyzes human decision-making.

Kojima’s AI “Brand” Take at a Glance

The “No” (Generative AI)	The “Yes” (Systems AI)
Visuals/Art: He believes AI-generated art “devalues” the medium and makes it “not special.”	Enemy Logic: Wants enemies that adapt to your specific experience and patterns.
Story/Writing: Insists that “bold choices” and “human intention” cannot be replicated by LLMs.	Efficiency: Using AI for “tedious tasks” like lip-syncing in 50+ languages to save time/cost.
Replacing Humans: Says we “can’t go back” to a world without AI, but humans must lead the creative part.	Personalization: Tuning game physics and camera speeds to an individual’s subconscious habits.

4. AI as the “New Smartphone”

Kojima compared the current resistance to AI to the initial backlash against smartphones. He noted that while people claimed they “didn’t need” them, they are now an inseparable part of human life. He views AI as the next inevitable layer of human evolution—a “butler” that will eventually handle our communication to reduce “social friction.”

Would you like me to look into the “Machine Learning” rigs Kojima is currently using for Death Stranding 2 to see how they differ from standard motion capture?