A former Red Dead Redemption 2 developer has warned that Nvidia’s new DLSS 5 technology is “scary,” claiming it may be using AI to fundamentally change how games look. The comments come as players debate whether AI-driven graphics are improving games or quietly replacing the work developers originally created.

In case you missed it, Nvidia recently kicked off a wave of backlash after revealing their new Nvidia DLSS 5 tech. What was initially supposed to be the reveal of groundbreaking gaming tech quickly spawned memes and criticism from players accusing it of being “AI slop.” Those critical of the tech are not alone, as a developer who worked on Red Dead Redemption 2 feels similarly.

Former Rockstar employee Mike York reacted to the Nvidia DLSS 5 reveal on his YouTube channel. According to the animator, the new tech doesn’t just fundamentally change the game’s art style, it alters it. “Whoa. Hold on. No, no, no. This isn’t just some lighting, dude. What the f… this is like a complete AI re-render. You’re no longer looking at the game anymore. Does that make sense? This is scary.”

During his livestream reaction, York goes through a pretty extensive explanation for why he thinks DLSS 5 makes too many changes to the game’s original design. One example he uses is a scene featuring Resident Evil Requiem‘s Grace Ashcroft, which Nvidia used as a demo.

“Look at this pillar in the background, guys. It’s a completely different texture. It’s not just lighting. Every time a frame happens, AI is coming in and re-drawing it, re-creating it from scratch. And it doesn’t do it perfectly.” York argued that DLSS 5 fails to accurately re-create the game’s original image consistently in the RE9 cutscene.

What Nvidia DLSS 5 Actually Does (And Why It’s a Big Deal)

The way Nvidia describes DLSS 5 is a bit technical jargon. Essentially, it adds high-definition lighting and textures to make your game’s graphics look photorealistic. However, if you read Nvidia’s official site, they confirm that it uses AI generation to apply these changes. Essentially, their tech is “trained” on every frame in the game’s files and then re-creates it at what is supposed to be a “higher fidelity.”

“The AI model is trained end to end to understand complex scene semantics such as characters, hair, fabric. DLSS 5 then uses its deep understanding to generate visually precise images that handle complex elements such as subsurface scattering on skin, the delicate sheen of fabric, and light-material interactions on hair, all while retaining the structure and semantics of the original scene.”

Based on that description, I think Mike York’s breakdown of the tech seems pretty accurate. That said, I’m by no means an expert on DLSS or high-end AI rendering. Regardless, many players overwhelmingly agree with York in that they feel it looks like an “AI” filter being slapped over the original artwork. Whether that’s the case or not, it’s certainly how it looks and feels.

Why DLSS 5 Could Change Gaming More Than Players Expect

Whether you like Nvidia DLSS 5 or not, it could be a game changer. Despite the gaming industry overwhelmingly having a negative reaction to the new tech, that doesn’t mean consumers will feel the same way. I could see a scenario where the average casual player will see photorealistic graphics as an upgrade because it has higher textures and resolution at a glance.

But there is also the fact that games might be able to run at higher performance while having DLSS 5 turned on. We see this currently with upscaling tech such as FSR, PSSR 2, or even DLSS 4. Although Nvidia hasn’t confirmed whether 5 will improve FPS or even potentially hurt it.

However, for better or worse, we could see a future where DLSS 5 ends up being adopted as a quick solution for higher fidelity. The only question is, will developers or players be okay with how much it seems to change the way characters and in-game models look?

If DLSS 5 becomes widely adopted, it could spark a bigger debate about whether players are still seeing a developer’s original vision or an AI-generated version of it.