Video game lawyer implores devs to swerve generative AI

April 16, 2026 - 02:33

A leading video game lawyer has issued a stark warning to developers, advising them to exercise extreme caution when integrating generative AI tools into their projects. The advice came from Nick Allan, a partner at the law firm Mishcon de Reya, during a rapid-fire legal session at the recent London Games Festival.

Allan highlighted the significant and often overlooked legal pitfalls surrounding the use of AI that trains on existing copyrighted material. He emphasized that developers could face serious liability for infringement if the AI-generated assets in their games—be it code, art, music, or narrative text—are derived from protected works without appropriate licenses. The core risk, he explained, is that current copyright law does not clearly protect AI-generated outputs, while simultaneously offering no defense for inadvertently using AI that was trained on copyrighted data.

The presentation served as a crucial reminder that the exciting potential of generative AI is matched by a complex web of intellectual property concerns. Allan implored studios to scrutinize their AI tool providers' terms of service and training data sources rigorously. He stressed that proactive legal review and clear contractual agreements are now essential steps in the development pipeline, urging creators to prioritize risk management to avoid costly litigation and project delays in this rapidly evolving landscape.