Gearbox Entertainment studio head Randy Pitchford reaffirmed the company’s policy against using artificial intelligence in any work seen by customers after fan concerns escalated over Borderlands 4 updates. On May 4, 2026, Pitchford stated, "ChatGPT has no information from me about anything from my work because I don’t use AI for work and our policy is no AI in any work that could ever be seen by any customer" [1].
The clarification came after the April 30 release of Borderlands 4 patch notes, which some fans found suspicious due to generic phrasing such as "The Rifts are meant to be scary, but not confusing!" and "We want fights to be both fair and fun" [1]. These phrases fueled fears on social media that AI tools might have been used in writing game updates.
Further fan backlash followed when Pitchford posted an AI-generated selfie created with ChatGPT on May 3, using his personal phone and not work computers, which are "isolated from personal systems," he explained [1]. He uses ChatGPT personally as a search engine and for fun image creation but emphasized that the studio's creative work remains free of AI involvement.
Some fans expressed concern online that Gearbox might incorporate AI in future development stages, prompting Pitchford’s reassurance that no AI is used in any customer-facing content [1].
The company plans to continue updating Borderlands 4 and will maintain transparency about its creative process in upcoming communications.
