Games Workshop Announces AI Ban For Content and Design

Games Workshop has announced an AI ban in its workplace. The tabletop studio known for the iconic Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Age of Sigmar has stated that none of its staff are to use AI in either content or design, insisting that senior management aren’t excited about the technology.

Games Workshop’s AI Ban Announcement

In an IGN report, Wesley Yin-Poole uncovered that the Games Workshop AI ban was announced during a UK financial report. Games Workshop’s CEO, Kevin Rountree, stated that GW staff are barred from using generative AI to produce anything.

Rountree qualified this stance by stating that the use of AI is a broad topic on which he is not an expert and that a “few” senior managers are experimenting with the technology.

“We do have a few senior managers that are [experts on AI]: none are that excited about it yet. We have agreed an internal policy to guide us all, which is currently very cautious e.g. we do not allow AI generated content or AI to be used in our design processes or its unauthorised use outside of GW including in any of our competitions. We also have to monitor and protect ourselves from a data compliance, security and governance perspective, the AI or machine learning engines seem to be automatically included on our phones or laptops whether we like it or not.

“We are allowing those few senior managers to continue to be inquisitive about the technology. We have also agreed we will be maintaining a strong commitment to protect our intellectual property and respect our human creators. In the period reported, we continued to invest in our Warhammer Studio — hiring more creatives in multiple disciplines from concepting and art to writing and sculpting. Talented and passionate individuals that make Warhammer the rich, evocative IP that our hobbyists and we all love.”

This stance is in step with Games Workshop’s attitude towards generative AI. They updated the rules and guidelines for their Golden Demon miniature painting competition to ban any use of AI in submissions. This announcement just extends that ban from fans and enthusiasts in the Warhammer community to the people making the miniatures and writing the rulebooks.

The Games Workshop statement also stands in stark contrast to other studios in the gaming space. Larian’s own Sven Vincke has been raked over the coals for his statements regarding generative AI in the development of the upcoming game, Divinity. Wizards of the Coast’s CEO Chris Cocks spoke about the benefits of AI in tabletop development in 2024, which was at odds with the company’s ban of AI art in D&D books. The list goes on.

In an environment where generative AI is being forced into every field to justify its existence, it is refreshing to see Games Workshop’s stance be so direct.