The gaming community is known for its often skeptical and passionate fanbase. Within this community, the recent appointment of new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, there ignited a controversy’s firestorm. Just hours into her new role, the Indian-origin executive found herself at the center of a bizarre social media storm. It started as the X users accused her of using AI for crafting replies. What must have been a celebratory welcome has now spiraled to debate on corporate communication, authenticity, and whether the new leader of the gaming giant is even a real person.
Suspicious replies by Asha Sharma trigger “AI” debate
The controversy erupted almost immediately after Asha Sharma took to X for introducing herself to the X community. The users on X have been quick to point out what they described as robotic patterns within her responses. Many noticed, and one of them said that Sharma had used slashes in a numbered list while discussing games. As per the user, this is a formatting choice which none of the humans would naturally make.
In the words of the user, “I was questioning it when she introduced herself and used slashes on a numbered list. I’ve never seen anyone do that ever.”
The observer’s skepticism intensified as Sharma engaged in conversation about some classic games. A user pointed out her comments about Chrono Trigger. While saying, she allegedly used phrasing which felt machine-generated, the user further added, “Oh, it is definitely AI. AI is always the one to say have you done the ending? Of course people have done the ending if they’re talking about Chrono trigger… what a joke AI is making these people.” The user with these words articulated what many in the thread were already thinking.
The suspicion against Sharma got further fuelled by some observations about her gaming activity. Users noted that her profile shows approx. 30 curated games that she played in a month. As per one of these users, it’s “definitely inorganic at best and fake at its worst.” It brings into question the authenticity of her claimed experience in gaming.
Gamers ask is Asha Sharma an AI?
The allegations started to take a more dramatic turn as users started to question the existence of Sharma. There are many posts speculating whether Xbox’s new CEO is an entirely fabricated persona, that is powered by Artificial Intelligence. A user in the comments openly asked, “Is she even a real person.” As per the user, to have an “AI CEO” at this point is “not out of possibility.”
The user further went ahead to take help of X’s AI chatbot Grok. The user asked Grok to investigate if Sharma was an actual person or if she was a “fabricated person.”
The skepticism was not limited to random users. Many users in comments even pointed out her professional background heading the AI product division of Microsoft as proof of supporting their theory. “Her core division was and is AI so this is most likely,” said an observer. With it, the comment suggested that Sharma’s expertise within AI might explain her supposedly robotic communication style. While comments on the other hand continue to suggest that Xbox is over.
Xbox fans are now comfortable with Asha Sharma taking on her role
Beyond the debate on communication style, some observers raised broader concerns as Asha Sharma takes over Xbox. As per them, her appointment raises serious questions about the future of Xbox. Some in comments pointed out a stark contrast with former Xbox chief Phil Spencer—widely regarded as a genuine gamer who has maintained an authentic connection with the community. Spencer, as per his followers, was frequently seen playing games online.
Spencer reportedly played across varied old and new titles, creating a sense of a shared experience with the fans of Xbox. This is one of the biggest reasons why many now fear that this shared experience will disappear under the new leadership.
Skepticism has even extended to some questions about whether Microsoft is moving to a future where even the leadership positions will be influenced/replaced by AI. A user jokingly said, “Well Microsoft did want to replace workforce with AI, so I guess they replaced Phil with Copilot 🤣”
Some users, noting previous statements of Microsoft about replacing workforce elements with AI, have drawn uncomfortable connections to the leadership transition. The timing also feels awkward as Sharma had publicly promised to keep Xbox away from what she termed as soulless AI slop, even when she faced accusations about representing the same.
Suspicious user even expressed concern about her lack within the gaming industry. As per them, her background is centered on AI products, social media engineering and e-commerce platforms. She does not have any prior connection to the gaming world. For the Xbox enthusiasts, it raises uncomfortable questions about whether the company is now understanding what truly makes its community tick. Also, they are worried about what happened to Xbox.
Some users have even adopted a wait-and-see approach. As per them, time will reveal whether all these early impressions are accurate or just the result of first-day jitters. Others, on the other hand, have been firmly convinced that patterns observed by them cannot be expressed by corporate communication training and nervousness.
Either way, there’s a lot going on, and conversations continue to evolve across X. With current reviews to date, as new interactions by Sharma continue, it will definitely bring in fresh scrutiny. It shows clearly that the gaming community is, for now, unwilling to extend the benefit of the doubt to its new leader.
