In brief
- In an interview, Jervis Johnson compared AI to “the asbestos of the internet.”
- In January, Games Workshop formally barred generative AI from Warhammer design.
- Johnson warned that generative AI could do developers more harm than good.
Artificial intelligence could become “the asbestos of the internet,” according to one of the architects of Warhammer 40,000.
Jervis Johnson, the longtime designer behind Warhammer 40,000, Necromunda, and Blood Bowl, criticized generative AI while supporting Games Workshop’s formal ban on the technology in its creative process.
“Most of the stuff that I’ve seen doesn’t seem to actually quite match up to the hype,” Johnson told gaming outlet FRVR. “I saw a great quote recently saying that AI is going to be like the asbestos of the internet and the computer industry. That we’re going to be spending decades getting this stuff out again after we’ve used it a lot and found out it’s actually a bit rubbish.”
Games Workshop, founded in 1975 and listed on the London Stock Exchange since 1994, is one of the largest tabletop gaming companies globally. In January, the maker of Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer: Age of Sigmar reported about $422 million in revenue and roughly $178 million in operating profit for the 26 weeks ended Nov. 30, 2025.
In its half-yearly report released in January, Games Workshop CEO Kevin Rountree said the company does not allow AI-generated content or AI to be used in its design processes, or its unauthorized use outside of GW, including in any of its competitions.
“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 unauthorized use outside of GW, including in any of our competitions,” Rountree said during an investor call.
Johnson said he supports that policy.
“I think it’s the right move for a lot of companies, to be perfectly honest,” he said. “I haven’t had a lot of experience with AI because I don’t use it. It’s not the way that I work, and I’m old so I don’t have to. It’s a newfangled kind of thing that I didn’t really get involved with in the first place.”
He said generative AI does not deliver high-end creative work, and in the end may be more harmful to developers than helpful.
“I think that if you’re going to do stuff at the top end, do properly interesting, creative stuff, then AI doesn’t help you,” Johnson said. “It’s a hindrance basically because it allows you to be a bit lazy and not put in the effort.”
Johnson described the development of Warhammer 40,000 as a process built on sustained human effort.
“There was a lot of work involved there, a lot of thinking, and thought, and meetings, and planning, and discarding ideas,” he said. “I worry that, with AI, what it does is it just cuts that out and shortcuts to kind of an average answer.”
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