Minecraft developer Mojang remains steadfast in its commitment to traditional game development, firmly rejecting the integration of generative artificial intelligence into its creative process. As the influence of generative AI continues to expand within the gaming industry, evident through Activision's use of AI-generated art in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Microsoft's development of Muse—an AI tool designed for generating game ideas—Mojang stands out with its dedication to human creativity.

Mojang's stance is clear: the human touch that has propelled Minecraft to become the best-selling game of all time, with over 300 million copies sold, is non-negotiable. Agnes Larsson, Minecraft Vanilla's game director, emphasized this during a recent event attended by IGN, stating, "Here for us, just like Minecraft is about creativity and creating, I think it's important that it makes us feel happy to create as humans. That's a purpose, [it] makes life look beautiful. So for us, we really want it to be our teams that make our games."

Echoing Larsson's sentiments, Ingela Garneij, executive producer of Minecraft Vanilla, highlighted the unique creative process behind Minecraft. "For me, it's the thinking outside of the box part. This specific touch of: what is Minecraft? How does it look? That extra quality is really tricky to create through AI. We even try to have remote teams sometimes and guide them in building things for us, which has never worked, because you have to be here working together face-to-face. I mean, creativity is... you need to meet like this as a person, as a human to really truly understand the values and principles and the ecosystem, the lore, everything. It's so massive, Minecraft, it's a planet, it's massive."

Mojang's human-centric approach continues to drive the game's evolution. The upcoming graphics update, "Vibrant Visuals," showcases the team's dedication to enhancing the game's visual experience without relying on AI. Furthermore, Mojang remains committed to the original game's model, refusing to adopt a free-to-play format or to develop a "Minecraft 2." Despite being 16 years old, Minecraft shows no signs of slowing down, and Mojang's resistance to generative AI ensures that the game's development remains firmly in human hands.

For more on what's coming to Minecraft, be sure to check out everything announced at Minecraft Live 2025.