Infinity Ward has publicly refuted claims that the Gunsmith feature in the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 utilizes an AI chatbot. The developer stated that the feature, named Gunny, is designed to offer players quick access to weapon builds curated by the studio's Weapons Team.

Gunny is intended to assist players in creating close-, mid-, or long-range loadouts tailored to various combat approaches, based on their unlocked attachments. Activision described Gunny in a blog post as bringing "a Gunnery Sergeant’s eye to weapon customization."

The speculation about an AI chatbot began after a screenshot of Modern Warfare 4's Gunsmith interface circulated on social media. The image displayed text from Gunny, which some interpreted as AI-driven dialogue similar to that found in chatbots like ChatGPT. One example of the text read, "Hello, I can help you build a weapon when you have more attachments unlocked. Keep leveling your weapon."

This led to player reactions, with some drawing comparisons to Microsoft's former digital assistant, Clippy, and others expressing frustration with the perceived proliferation of AI in digital spaces. Criticism also came from former Call of Duty leaker TheGhostOfHope, who posted on X (formerly Twitter) that "They got an AI chatbot in the game now to help mfs with their loadouts as if it’s not the same s**t used every year."

Infinity Ward responded directly to these claims, stating via X, "Wrong (again.) Gunny is hand crafted by our developers, not AI. It recommends builds based on the attachments you’ve unlocked for each weapon. It helps make quick loadout changes between matches. Give it a shot in the Beta."

The developer's response, including the phrase "wrong (again)," alludes to a history of contention with TheGhostOfHope. Activision has previously addressed leaks from this source, including a claim about a standalone Zombies game, which the official Call of Duty account dismissed. Activision also previously requested TheGhostOfHope cease sharing confidential information, citing disruptions caused by both accurate and inaccurate leaks.

This clarification comes as Activision has faced scrutiny over the use of generative AI in game development, including instances where AI was used for in-game assets in Black Ops 6 and 7, which drew criticism for elements like the "six-fingered zombie Santa."

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is slated for release on Friday, October 23, 2026, across Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5, PC (via Battle.net, Xbox on PC, and Steam), and Nintendo Switch 2.