The Uncomfortable Truth About AI in Game Production (Presented by Keywords Studios)

AI is everywhere in game development conversations, but far less visible in real, shipped production. Most studios don't fail because the tools aren't powerful enough. They fail because the surrounding realities are ignored.
This talk cuts through the hype to examine the unsexy truth of adopting AI in day-to-day game development: how it fits (or doesn't) into existing workflows, who owns it once the experiment ends, how context and compliance shape outcomes, and why culture often matters more than capability. Drawing on real production experience across live projects and distributed teams, the session explores where AI initiatives typically stall, the hidden costs studios underestimate, and what actually enables AI to deliver sustained value without disrupting creative flow or production stability. This is a practical, experience-led look at AI as it really exists inside studios today and not as it's pitched.