Game developers are very concerned about the use of AI, says new survey

The Game Developers Conference (GDC) released its annual State of the Game Industry survey, which revealed significant concerns among game developers about the ethical use of artificial intelligence, The Verge reports. A survey of more than 3,000 participants showed that 84% of respondents expressed some or significant concern about the ethics of using generative AI in game development.

The survey highlighted several reasons for this concern. Developers are concerned that AI may replace humans, leading to an increase in layoffs. They also fear that AI programs may obtain data from their games without permission and risk facing copyright infringement complaints due to AI-generated content.

The survey revealed different views on artificial intelligence depending on the position in the industry. Employees in technical fields, such as marketing, programming, and business, generally believe that AI has a positive impact on their work. Conversely, people in creative professions such as art, narrative, and quality assurance were more likely to see AI as having a negative impact on their work.

One anonymous response reflects the general sentiment among developers: AI should be used to empower, not reduce, the workforce. The survey also touched on other pressing issues in the games industry, including the ongoing layoff crisis, the impact of return-to-work commitments on morale, and the impact of Unity’s recent failure to implement a new pay policy.

In terms of game engine software, 33% of the surveyed developers reported using Unity or Unreal Engine. However, the controversial announcement of Unity’s pricing model has caused a third of these developers to consider switching to another game engine or not switching at all.

The survey also showed that the mandatory return to office policy is causing dissatisfaction among developers, as evidenced by a significant number of layoffs and loss of morale. In addition, more than a third of respondents said that they were personally affected by layoffs or witnessed layoffs in their companies.