Xbox ‘Business Strategist’ Claims Video Game Industry Is ‘Pretending to Not Use AI,’ Deletes Twitter Account After Deluge of Replies
Xbox Business Strategist Brandon Stirrup generated significant online debate this week by claiming the video game industry is secretly using AI extensively while publicly denying it. In a viral Twitter thread, Stirrup bolstered his argument by revealing he had created a functioning game using AI tools in just three hours, describing it as “a little bad game.”
Stirrup asserted that “gaming is the only industry pretending not to use AI,” and argued that developers refusing to embrace AI “should not be in the bus[iness]” (his message was cut off mid-sentence). His posts suggested that AI adoption in game development is far more widespread among studios than the industry publicly acknowledges.
The controversial statements sparked extensive discussion across gaming communities, with significant online response to Stirrup’s claims. Following the wave of replies and debate, Stirrup deleted his Twitter account. The incident underscores ongoing tensions within the gaming industry regarding AI’s appropriate role in game development, content creation, and design—a topic that remains contentious among developers, studios, publishers, and the gaming public.