AI Use Pushed Insensitively by Xbox Leadership

It has been a rough time for employees at Xbox and related studios. Around 9,000 employees have lost their jobs. And it’s probably leading to even more job losses. Apparently, Turnbull thought he’d share some well-meaning but insensitive advice to folks who are facing job loss. He admits that he knows mentioning these tools is likely to be met with strong feelings, but he goes on to do it anyway. He says he’s “been experimenting with ways to use LLM AI tools (like ChatGPT or Copilot) to help reduce the emotional and cognitive load that comes with job loss.” He goes on to share suggested prompts and more advice.

He talks as if he’s facing the issue of job loss personally. But he isn’t, and even if an LLM tool can be helpful, this isn’t the guy you want that advice from. Especially since a lot of folks are feeling the fear of being replaced by AI tools just like these. It’s no wonder he faced backlash for it.

What Else?

A principal development lead at the Xbox graphics team, Mike Matsel, didn’t learn from Turnbull’s example. He posted on LinkedIn (the post is now deleted) and shared the news that his team is hiring. But he used an image that was so obviously AI-generated that anyone would have noticed. It showed a woman using a computer to code, and you could tell what she was doing because the content on her monitor was displayed on the back of it.

The response wasn’t surprising with comments like, “Does everyone left at Xbox have brain damage?”

Why Get Upset?

Folks in the gaming industry are upset about posts like these because Microsoft has announced that they’re investing $80 billion in 2025 into AI technology. They’re mandating the use of generative AI for some employees. And even considering AI use as a measurable metric for employees. Yuck.

LLMs are useful. There’s no doubt about that. But there is a time and a place for everything. These guys have been talking to their LLMs too much. They forgot how to read the room.