According to a survey of game developers conducted by the gaming conference GDC, their attitude towards generative artificial intelligence at work has significantly deteriorated.
According to a survey of game developers conducted by the gaming conference GDC, their attitude towards generative artificial intelligence at work has significantly deteriorated.
According to PC Gamer, in 2026, 52% of over 2,300 respondents said «that generative AI has a negative impact on the gaming industry.» Two years ago, only 18% thought so, and last year, 30%.
«I would rather leave this industry than use generative AI,» said a game design executive from the UK.
Developers who oppose generative AI believe that it is «built on theft and plagiarism» and creates «a chewed-up combination of everything that has come before.»
Only 7% of this year’s respondents consider generative AI useful for industry, which is 6% less than last year. Artists, designers, writers and programmers are the least likely to approve of generative AI. At the same time, AI is most often used by managers and executives.
One AI advocate called criticism of the technology a «moral panic,» while another even stated that his team was «deliberately working on a platform that would put all game developers out of work and allow kids to create and manage their own content.»
The most common areas of application of AI by game developers were research and brainstorming (81%), as well as office work: answering emails (47%), assistance with coding (47%), and prototyping (35%).
