Brandon Stirrup says Xbox is already using AI extensively, after describing a game prototype built with the technology and criticising the industry’s reluctance to be open about it.
A senior Xbox manager has set off fresh debate over artificial intelligence in game development after saying the company is already using the technology extensively and accusing parts of the industry of being unwilling to say so publicly. Brandon Stirrup, Senior Business Strategy Manager at Xbox, argued that gaming stands out from other sectors because of the backlash from players, and said users should be told the truth. According to reports of his remarks, he later removed the posts and then made his account on X private after the comments spread online. Stirrup is quoted as saying: “We use AI.”
Stirrup also described a small game prototype he said he built with AI tools in only a few hours of active work, spread over two days. Xbox-focused sites reported that he used the example to argue that AI is already shaping how games are made, not just how they are marketed. He also said hundreds of people at Xbox were using AI, presenting it as part of a wider shift rather than an experimental edge case.
His comments have landed in a sector where the technology is still highly contested. Coverage from Windows Central and other gaming outlets says he framed gaming as unusually hesitant to embrace AI, despite what he sees as its practical value in speeding up early development work. That stance has intensified an already difficult discussion in the industry, where publishers and studios are under pressure to improve productivity while also facing concern from players and developers about automation, quality and creative control.
The remarks come as Xbox has been expanding its internal experimentation. In October 2026, the company opened a new Labs unit focused on recomposition of games and new development methods, in a move inspired by the broader trend towards AI-assisted porting and production. Taken together, the public comments and the new internal team suggest that Xbox is positioning AI not as a side project, but as a tool it expects to be embedded in future workflows.
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