AI in Gaming: Experts Discuss Copyright and Creativity in the Age of Neural Networks
The business program of the Second Global Digital Forum continued on October 10 with a panel discussion titled “Game Worlds: Who Is the Real Creator?” The speakers discussed the forces shaping the digital world. The focus was on people, creative potential, and how technology can make the world a better place.
Alexander Egorov, Head of Media and Indie Games at VK Play, VK’s gaming division and a partner of GDF 2026, moderated the discussion. He asked the speakers to consider the role of humans in creating game content and who owns the results of human-technology collaboration.
Alexander Zhuravlev, Managing Partner and Founder of EBR Law Firm and a legal expert in the gaming industry, suggested to distinguish between ownership rights or a license and the question of whether an AI service can use the resulting content in other projects. Free versions may grant a license for personal use only, excluding commercial use.
“Any content, and games in particular, is like a multilayered cake. Each layer carries rights to the final product. If you lack the rights to even one layer, the service’s rights holder could later claim that you are using unauthorized content and block you from the marketplace or store where your software or game is distributed.”
Another issue is non-exclusivity: a user may legally obtain similar content.
“That is probably one of the downsides of these tools. So you need to think carefully about what you intend to use them for,” Alexander Zhuravlev emphasized.
Vasily Maguryan, CEO of Igrovoy Kholding LLC, identified three areas in which AI is being used today and is likely to develop further. He believes AI performs best at coding. Some tasks should not be handed over to AI entirely, but can be kept under human supervision, such as generating the visual content that will define a project’s identity. User interaction within a project, however, is an area where human involvement remains indispensable.
“I mean interaction with users within the project itself, not customer support. A user comes into your game, and they need to be confident that it works properly. That is very important,” the speaker clarified.
Andrey Karelin, Head of Business Development at VK Play, approached the issue from the perspective of someone building a gaming platform:
“The most important thing is that the product is good or that it simply sells well,” he said.
He noted that content can now be created faster and at a lower cost, but the number of attempts is also increasing, so the savings are not always as substantial as one might hope. If testing one hypothesis used to cost, say, $1,000, it is now possible to test ten hypotheses for $100 each. The overall cost may be the same, but the chances of success increase. Karelin identified trying to use AI to replace ideas and creativity as one of the mistakes content creators make.
“It comes down to the question of whether a robot can write a symphony. AI operates in the realm of numbers and does not fully understand human context. It struggles to grasp why a particular piece of music or a visual in a project evokes a certain emotion,” the expert said.
Juan Manuel Rincón, an advisor on creative and digital industries and international cooperation from Colombia, offered an international perspective. In countries such as Colombia, the gaming industry needs talent, and the government helps develop the sector. In his view, rather than simply regulating the field and debating who the author is, it is better to seek an open, shared approach.
“The most important thing is to preserve our identity, our mental and emotional well-being, and our humanity,” Juan Manuel Rincón emphasized.
He also stressed the importance of remembering cultural diversity and family values.
Restya Winda Astari, CEO of Agate Academy in Indonesia, explained that Indonesia is the largest gaming market in Southeast Asia and ranks 16th worldwide, yet international products account for 99% of the market’s turnover. A study involving around 16 game studios found that AI helps with programming, speeds up iteration, and serves as an assistant in the creative process. But fully replacing humans, especially in artistic work, is undesirable.
“Of course, AI can help create content faster. But the question is whether games like that should be made at all. Who is the real creator of games? With AI, we can generate things, speed things up, and scale production. But the human still makes the decisions,” Restya Winda Astari said.
The discussion offered no single, simple answer to the question, “Who is the creator of a game world?” Instead, it showed that authorship is becoming more complex, but the human element remains essential. People’s role is increasingly centered on ideas, choices, accountability, preserving a product’s identity, and building relationships with its audience.
