Half of developers believe that artificial general intelligence is hurting the gaming industry

While generative AI is being adopted at different levels of game development, a new study suggests that developers increasingly believe the technology is harmful to the industry. According to the latest Game Developers Conference survey, 52 percent of respondents said that AGI has a “negative” impact on the gaming industry, compared to just 7 percent who viewed the technology as “positive.” Perhaps most surprising is how negative expectations have grown over the years: in 2024, just 18% of those surveyed saw technology as negative, and that number jumped to 30% in 2025. Now it’s more than half.

GDC surveyed 2,300 “gaming industry professionals” to get these results, and the demographics were primarily male (64 percent), white (67 percent), and US-based (54 percent). The organizers admit that this makeup is “far from being truly representative of the global community, and we know that more work is needed.” (You can check it out Full report here.)

However, the results still provide some great insights into how actual developers feel about AI, at the same time as world leaders. Major publishers like EA and Crafton espouses its virtues (As Larian had to explain How technology is used). As for the extent of actual use of AI generation in industry, 36% of those surveyed said that they use it as part of their jobs, while 64% said that they do not. The majority of those using AGI said they use the technology for research and brainstorming (81 percent), as well as administrative tasks such as email (47 percent). But some admitted to using AI for more development-oriented tasks, including prototyping (35 percent), testing or debugging (22 percent), and asset generation (19 percent). Only 5% of that group said they use AGI in “player-facing features.”

Another key theme that came up in the survey was grit Layoffs and studio closures Which has destroyed the industry over the past few years. In the 2025 poll One in 10 developers said they had been laid off within the past year. This year, the numbers were similar, with 17% of respondents saying they had been laid off from their jobs within the past 12 months, while 28% had been laid off within the past two years. Naturally, this created an aura of uncertainty. 23% of those surveyed said they expect more layoffs in the next year, while 30% are unsure.

The survey also questioned a small number of education workers — more than 100 teachers and 50 students, according to the GDC — and, unsurprisingly, the outlook is not very positive. 60 percent of those surveyed said they expect the current state of the industry will make it difficult for new students to get jobs. “Most of my students will never have a career in game development,” said one anonymous Michigan teacher.

The GDC itself begins this year on March 9 in San Francisco, and these two issues will likely be a major topic throughout.