As Facepunch Studios prepares to launch its new game-creation platform, s&box, in April, founder Garry Newman is weighing in on one of the game industry’s most contentious topics: artificial intelligence. The creator of Garry’s Mod says AI has already become a powerful tool for developers, but he also believes relying on it too heavily could come with creative downsides.
In an interview with PC Gamer, the creator of Garry’s Mod shared candid thoughts about the growing role of artificial intelligence in game development as well as why he believes developers need to strike a balance when using it.
“I don’t mind AI that much, because it makes my job so much easier, but I know a lot of artists are more sensitive over AI,” he said. “I think programmers are over it now. They’ve seen how useful it is, how more efficient it makes them.” But he also cautioned that overreliance could come with trade-offs, delivering a blunt analogy.
“My thoughts on AI with programming are basically the same as porn,” Newman said. “So, like, if you use too much porn, you lose your ability to ejaculate using your imagination.”
Expanding on the comparison, Newman argued that developers should use AI tools while still exercising their own creativity and problem-solving skills. “I think you need to kind of split it, 50/50. You need to use your imagination sometimes to be able to do that. And I think it’s the same with coding,” he added. “If you count on AI to always do it, then you’re going to lose the ability to think critically.”
His warning echoes some early academic findings, including a 2025 study from MIT that found people who relied on ChatGPT while writing essays showed lower brain activity and “consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels.”
Newman acknowledged the concerns around AI but said it has been a valuable learning tool in his own work, explaining that he has gained more knowledge from using AI than he has delegated to it, as it has introduced him to techniques and ideas that surpass what he typically finds through web searches. Regarding AI-generated user content in s&box, he believes the ecosystem will eventually regulate itself, with low-quality material naturally losing attention because users will see it and ignore it.
However, he admitted the issue remains controversial, particularly among artists. While he said AI evolves too quickly to be ignored and is widely used in coding because it is fast and useful, he noted that its role in art is far more sensitive, especially since many artists are concerned that AI systems may have been trained on their work.
Outside of s&box, Facepunch may also have another project brewing–this time in Hollywood. Studio director and COO Alistair McFarlane told PC Gamer that Facepunch has been “talking to people” about adapting Rust into a film, with “big-name companies” reportedly involved in early discussions. That said, nothing concrete has been finalized, and McFarlane cautioned that Hollywood tends to move very slowly, so fans shouldn’t expect any announcements anytime soon.
