Xbox's new boss vows to avoid 'soulless AI slop'

Phil Spencer is retiring after 12 years leading Microsoft’s gaming division. His replacement is Asha Sharma, the president of Microsoft’s CoreAI Product division; Sarah Bond, the president of Xbox, is also leaving alongside Spencer. In her first memo to the company, Sharma promised "the return of Xbox" and said she would avoid flooding the brand with "soulless AI slop," while making clear AI would be part of Xbox’s future.

"As monetization and AI evolve and influence this future, we will not chase short-term efficiency or flood our ecosystem with soulless AI slop," she wrote. "Games are and always will be art, crafted by humans, and created with the most innovative technology provided by us." She added that "We must have great games beloved by players before we do anything," and pledged to empower studios, invest in iconic franchises, back bold new ideas and take risks.

"We will enter new categories and markets where we can add real value, grounded in what players care about most," she said.

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