Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford has officially declared that the studio will not utilize generative AI in any work destined for customers, following a public outcry sparked by his decision to share a ChatGPT-generated image on social media.
The Controversy Behind the AI Post
On May 3, Pitchford posted an image created by ChatGPT, which he claimed was the result of a prompt asking the tool to generate “a picture of yourself as if you worked at my company, Gearbox Software.” The resulting image featured a middle-aged man in a dark, stylized office setting, with a whiteboard in the background displaying terms like “Borderlands 4,” “players first,” and “creative autonomy.”
Pitchford defended the post, characterizing it as an experiment to see what “bullshit” the AI would produce regarding self-identity. He dismissed the idea that the AI had any internal knowledge of Gearbox projects, despite the whiteboard’s specific references to the studio’s titles. “ChatGPT has no information from me about anything from my work,” he stated.
Fan Concerns and Studio Policy
The post triggered immediate alarm among Borderlands fans, many of whom were already suspicious of AI usage following recent game patch notes that some players felt exhibited AI-generated stylistic quirks. The backlash forced Pitchford to clarify the studio’s stance on the controversial technology.
“I don’t use AI for work and our policy is no AI in any work that could ever be seen by any customer,” Pitchford clarified. He emphasized that the image was generated on his personal phone, completely isolated from company systems, and maintained that the timing of the post was unrelated to any recent development updates.
Take-Two’s Stance on Generative AI
As a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive—the parent company of Rockstar Games—Gearbox faces heightened scrutiny regarding its technological practices. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has previously labeled generative AI as the “future of technology,” though he has simultaneously downplayed concerns that it will replace human labor or single-handedly create blockbuster hits like Grand Theft Auto 6.
The industry remains divided on the integration of AI tools, with other major developers also forced to defend their positions. For instance, the studio behind Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 recently had to insist that AI was only used in the “early stages of production,” while emphasizing that they do not view the technology as a substitute for human craftsmanship.
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