36 percent of game workers use generative AI, but half think it's bad for the industry
36 percent of game industry professionals are using generative AI tools as part of their job. Half of them, however, think the technology is having a negative impact on the industry.
That's according to the 2026 State of the Game Industry report, an annual survey conducted by GDC Festival of Gaming based on responses from over 2,300 industry professionals.
Respondents employed at game studios (30 percent) reporting using generative AI tools far less than their peers at publishing companies, support teams, and marketing or PR firms (58 percent).
There was also a considerable difference in AI usage based on the professional status of respondents. Those working in upper management (47 percent), for example, used AI tools more than those in the lower decks (29 percent). Studio directors sit between those two groups (36 percent).
21 percent of respondents said they use internal generative AI tools—although that metric increased to 30 percent for workers at triple-A studios.
Large language models (LLMs) were the most used AI tool by a country mile. The three most popular were ChatGPT (74 percent), Google Gemini (37 percent), and Microsoft Copilot (22 percent).
As for text-to-image or video tools, Midjourney was the most used (17 percent), with Adobe Generative Fill (13 percent) and Sora AI (8 percent) following behind. Several respondents also disclosed the use of Claude, a LLM that was not included in this year's survey.
So, what are developers using those AI tools for? According to the survey, 81 percent of respondents use them for research or brainstorming, while 47 percent leverage them to complete daily tasks such as writing emails and code assistance.
The data indicates generative AI tools are used less for creative tasks such as asset generation (19 percent), procedural generation (10 percent), and player-facing features (5 percent).
Men also reported using generative AI tools more than women (41 percent compared to 35 percent), while older workers appear to be more reliant on the tech than their younger counterparts (46 percent compared to 34 percent).
52 percent of professionals think generative AI is having a negative impact on the industryGame developers seemingly failed to warm to generative AI tools in 2025, with some suggesting the technology would lower the quality of video games.
Indeed, according to the 2025 State of the Game Industry report, 30 percent of respondents felt generative AI would have a negative impact on the game industry (an increase from 18 percent in 2024).
That figure has once again shot up. This year's survey found that 52 percent of respondents believe generative AI is having a negative impact. Workers in visual and technical art (64 percent), game design and narrative (63 percent), and game programming (59 percent) hold the most unfavorable views.
The survey also surfaced a great deal of opposition among those in quality assurance and community support, but the sample sizes were relatively small.
There are some respondents who claimed generative AI is having a positive impact on the industry. About 7 percent of them expressed that view, which is down from 13 percent in 2025. The metric is higher for executives and those in business operations and services (19 percent each).
When asked 'What considerations or values guide your decisions about if, when, or how to use generative AI tools in your work?,' respondents provided a range of thoughtful answers:
"Why would I replace human creativity with a regurgitated amalgamation of everything thats come before?," said one senior employee based in the United States.
"I believe AI can be a fantastic tool to streamline tedious work and help a lot in the STEM space. It, however, can never replace human creativity and artistic expression," added another respondent, also based in the United States.
Game Developer and GDC Festival of Gaming are sibling companies under Informa Festivals.
