NZGDA AI Hui

Written By Gina Chong

Artificial intelligence is reshaping game development faster than any policy, guideline, or terms of service can keep up with. The conversations are happening in studios, in Discord servers, in quiet frustration and loud debate - but no one has brought the whole industry into the same room to work through it together. Until now...

What Is the NZGDA AI Hui?

A hui (from te reo Maori, meaning "meeting" or "gathering") is exactly what this is - a gathering with purpose. The NZGDA AI Hui is a structured, facilitated discussion bringing 200 of Aotearoa's game developers together to confront the most pressing questions surrounding AI in our industry head on.

Twenty round tables. Two hundred participants. One unified voice.

How it works

Each of the 20 round tables will be led by a facilitator who are experts across the many dimensions of AI - from creative and ethical practice to workforce impact, IP, and governance. They will guide participants through a series of focused discussion topics covering the full spectrum of AI in game development - its impacts, its possibilities, and its risks.

Topics will include:

  • The use of AI in development pipelines and creative practice

  • Acceptable and non-acceptable uses of AI in our industry

  • The impact of AI on employment, skills, and the workforce

  • IP, copyright, and ethical concerns

  • What good AI governance looks like for game development

At the close of the hui, the insights, concerns, and consensus positions gathered from every table will be compiled into a landmark document - a definitive record of where New Zealand's game development industry stands on AI, in our own words.

Why this matters

The NZ game industry generates over $1 billion in annual revenue and is growing fast. Our voice deserves to be heard in the conversations shaping how AI develops and how it is governed. This document will not sit in a drawer - it will inform advocacy, guide policy conversations, and give our industry a clear, collective position to stand behind.

Places are limited

The NZGDA AI Hui is capped at 200 participants to ensure every table is a genuine, high-quality conversation - not a lecture theatre.

Registrations open Friday 28 August 2026 on a first come, first served basis. Do not miss your place in the room.

Gina Chong
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