Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford has claimed AI will never be used for any Gearbox studio work ‘that could ever be seen by any customer,’ following backlash against an AI-generated image posted to his social accounts.
In a social media post, Pitchford described using an AI tool to generate a selfie of the AI, if it imagined ‘how they feel based on how I interact with it’. The image generated features an older man at a desk in Gearbox Software, with various studio paraphernalia in the background – including a whiteboard of ideas with key phrases like ‘Borderlands 4‘ and ‘New IP’ as well as ‘make games people love’ and ‘players first’.
Gearbox CEO on GenAI – quick links
Players push Pitchford to clarify his stance on GenAI
Following various critical responses to this post, with many loyal Gearbox players questioning the use of AI, Pitchford has attempted to clarify his stance. He shared that ‘AI sucks’ and asked commenters to stop making the post ‘something it isn’t’ as it was ‘just a dumb, silly thing’ he shared.
‘The point was to make the AI make a picture of how it saw itself to put a lens on the absurdity of the idea of AI having an identity,’ Pitchford said.
In many responses inspired by the pile-on, Pitchford has underlined that Gearbox Software maintains a stance against the use of AI: ‘Our policy is that we do not use AI for anything in any professional capacity that any customer could ever see.’
Following further criticism, Pitchford confirmed that he doesn’t use AI for work, and the image was simply generated from ‘whatever public knowledge of Gearbox it has access to’.
Pitchford also pushed back on fan allegations that recent Borderlands 4 patch notes were AI-generated, based on their cadence and wording.
Gearbox Software is the latest studio to set boundaries on GenAI use
While the wording of Pitchford’s statement about not using AI for work, and not having AI used in any work seen by any customer, still leaves room for non-public-facing work to be AI-generated, the incident sees Gearbox Software become the latest games company to define a strict policy around AI use.
It’s become an increasingly contentious topic amongst studios and game players, with many calling the use of AI lazy, as well as criticising the technology for its environmental harms, its infringement of copyright and its potential to make users stupider.
In recent weeks, we’ve seen companies including IO Interactive confirm that upcoming games don’t use AI. 007: First Light art director Rasmus Poulsen even recently underlined why using the technology in a James Bond game would be a fallacy: ‘the thematics of Bond are often: beware of utopia’.
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick also recently called the idea that AI can make games ‘laughable’ and doubled down on his belief in human creativity.
We’ve also seen companies facing the ire of fans for revealing their AI use, with Larian Studios recently facing loud backlash after CEO Swen Vincke enthused about the technology’s potential and how it could speed up game development process.
Given the controversies around the technology, it’s likely this push-pull of public debate will continue in future, with any use of AI likely to be heavily scrutinised by passionate gaming fanbases.
Also on ScreenHub: Larian Studios CEO backtracks on GenAI enthusiasm
Larian Studios has spent the last few weeks in hot water, following an interview with studio CEO Swen Vincke, in which he enthused about generative AI and its use in the development of upcoming, highly-anticipated fantasy game, Divinity. Now, in a public Reddit thread, Vincke has backtracked on his enthusiasm, detailing a new approach to generative AI use at the studio.
Read more …
