AI Hui: Building an Industry Consensus
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 AI Hui is a large, facilitated roundtable session for the New Zealand game development industry, dedicated to one of the biggest conversations facing us right now: AI. Building on the NZGDA AI Statement, we're bringing the industry together to start the hard conversations and work toward a set of practical guidelines for the industry, built by the industry.
190 round tables. Two hundred participants. One unified voice.
Who is this for?
Anyone working in or around the New Zealand game development industry: developers, artists, designers, producers, studio leads, contractors, and anyone with a stake in how AI is used in our work. You don't need to be an AI expert. In fact, the whole point is to hear from as broad a range of views as possible, including from people who haven't had the chance to weigh in on this yet.
Do I need to register?
Yes. Because the session is run as a facilitated roundtable at NZGDC with a fixed number of tables, seats are limited. Please register by 30 September 2026. Registration is via the NZGDC Event App, which you will have access to after purchasing a ticket to NZGDC.
What actually happens on the day?
The session runs in four parts:
Framing and grounding (10 min). A welcome, an explanation of how the session works, and a walkthrough of the NZGDA AI Statement so everyone starts from the same baseline.
Research briefing (20 min). Media Design School presents their current research on industry attitudes to AI, giving the room a shared starting point before discussion begins.
Round One: mixed tables (25 min). You'll be seated at one of 20 roundtables with a genuine mix of people. The discussion covers where AI is already being used, the biggest risks people see, and where the industry should draw lines.
Rounds Two and Three: themed tables (35 min combined). After a short scribe share-out, you'll move to a table focused on a theme you're most engaged by: social licence and public trust, creative authorship and originality, AI in production and tools, player-facing AI, or studio policy and procurement. These rounds go deeper, first on principles, then on practical next steps.
The session closes with a short sampling report-back from a few tables and a wrap-up on what happens next.
What if I don't want to speak up at my table?
That's completely fine. Every table has a scribe capturing the discussion in writing, and there are also individual, anonymous feedback forms on every table. If you'd rather write your thoughts down than say them out loud, you can, and your input carries the same weight.
Is what I say confidential?
Table discussions are captured on capture sheets without names attached, and the individual feedback forms are anonymous by default. If you're happy to be contacted about something you've raised, there's an optional space on the feedback form to leave contact details. Otherwise, nothing you say is individually attributed in the published guidelines.
What's the actual outcome of the hui?
A set of practical guidelines for the game development industry, built by the industry. Every table's capture sheet and every individual feedback form will be brought together by NZGDA to shape this. It's meant to be a genuine starting point for industry consensus, not just a discussion for its own sake.
Do I need to prepare anything?
No preparation is required. It's worth having a read of the NZGDA AI Statement beforehand if you haven't already, so you're familiar with where the conversation is starting from, but it's not compulsory.
What if I have a strong view, one way or the other?
Bring it. This session is designed to surface real disagreement, not paper over it. Facilitators are there to keep things respectful and constructive, not to steer the conversation toward a particular conclusion.
Places are limited
The NZGDA AI Hui is capped at 190 participants to ensure every table is a genuine, high-quality conversation - not a lecture theatre.
Registrations open Friday 28 August 2026 via the NZGDC App, on a first come, first served basis. Do not miss your place in the room.