Briefly
- In an interview, Jervis Johnson in contrast AI to “the asbestos of the web.”
- In January, Video games Workshop formally barred generative AI from Warhammer design.
- Johnson warned that generative AI might do builders extra hurt than good.
Synthetic intelligence might change into “the asbestos of the web,” based on one of many architects of Warhammer 40,000.
Jervis Johnson, the longtime designer behind Warhammer 40,000, Necromunda, and Blood Bowl, criticized generative AI whereas supporting Video games Workshop’s formal ban on the expertise in its inventive course of.
“A lot of the stuff that I’ve seen doesn’t appear to truly fairly match as much as the hype,” Johnson advised gaming outlet FRVR. “I noticed an amazing quote not too long ago saying that AI goes to be just like the asbestos of the web and the pc trade. That we’re going to be spending a long time getting these things out once more after we’ve used it rather a lot and came upon it is truly a bit garbage.”
Video games Workshop, based in 1975 and listed on the London Inventory Alternate since 1994, is among the largest tabletop gaming corporations globally. In January, the maker of Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer: Age of Sigmar reported about $422 million in income and roughly $178 million in working revenue for the 26 weeks ended Nov. 30, 2025.
In its half-yearly report launched in January, Video games Workshop CEO Kevin Rountree stated the corporate doesn’t permit AI-generated content material or AI for use in its design processes, or its unauthorized use exterior of GW, together with in any of its competitions.
“Now we have agreed an inside coverage to information us all, which is at present very cautious, e.g., we don’t permit AI-generated content material or AI for use in our design processes or its unauthorized use exterior of GW, together with in any of our competitions,” Rountree stated throughout an investor name.
Johnson stated he helps that coverage.
“I feel it’s the precise transfer for lots of corporations, to be completely trustworthy,” he stated. “I haven’t had plenty of expertise with AI as a result of I don’t use it. It’s not the way in which that I work, and I’m outdated so I don’t must. It’s a newfangled type of factor that I didn’t actually get entangled with within the first place.”
He stated generative AI doesn’t ship high-end inventive work, and in the long run could also be extra dangerous to builders than useful.
“I feel that if you happen to’re going to do stuff on the prime finish, do correctly attention-grabbing, inventive stuff, then AI doesn’t enable you,” Johnson stated. “It’s a hindrance mainly as a result of it lets you be a bit lazy and never put within the effort.”
Johnson described the event of Warhammer 40,000 as a course of constructed on sustained human effort.
“There was plenty of work concerned there, plenty of considering, and thought, and conferences, and planning, and discarding concepts,” he stated. “I fear that, with AI, what it does is it simply cuts that out and shortcuts to type of a mean reply.”
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