Artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed numerous industries, including video games. While it has been a part of the gaming world for decades, AI has spread to multiple aspects of production and gameplay.
Machine intelligence is here to stay, though it has divided the video game community. Some say it could make development easier, whereas others believe it may compromise quality and take jobs away from people.
Public opinion on AI in game development has dramatically changed in the last few years. While there are positives and negatives, it has become a reality for the industry.
More companies have taken advantage of AI throughout the development process, considering its efficiency potential.
A 2024 survey of the Game Developers Conference found that 31% of respondents leveraged generative AI in their workflow. Another 18% said they didn’t use the advanced technology, though they have co-workers who have incorporated it.
Proponents of AI say that it can be serviceable in some of the most complex aspects of game development, such as NPC behavior. Machine learning (ML) algorithms can identify patterns and help NPCs dynamically respond to your actions.
Generative AI can allow for NPC flexibility by letting them go off their typical script. The argument is that when they show a wider emotional range, they become more intelligent and engaging to gamers.
AI algorithms are also suggested to learn what the player needs as they’re playing. For instance, they can hypothetically adjust the gameplay difficulty based on how well or poorly they’re playing.
Regardless of the genre, AI helps developers get over the finish line when deadlines loom. Advanced technologies can automate glitch testing, performance optimization and translation of game text into other languages.
Smaller production teams may use AI to compensate for the limited staff and meet deadlines set by stakeholders. However, more prominent developers of AAA games have incorporated AI into their productions.
Activision admitted it used AI-generated images for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 after disclosing it on Steam. The publisher of this AAA title used AI for the Yokai bundle, which was released in late December of 2023.
The news made gamers upset, considering Activion’s lack of transparency. Since the release, the publisher has also used AI for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 in 2024 across the loading screens and calling cards.
While Activision made headlines, it wasn’t the only publisher making waves for its AI usage.
In 2024, Joe Tresca of indie developer Eyeballistic leveraged AI to upscale footage from 1992’s Mortal Kombat II when teasing remakes. However, the gaming community noticed discrepancies like the incorrect number of fingers on characters' hands.
These stories contribute to gamers’ concerns about the overuse of AI and the decrease in human ingenuity.
Many fear that the new generation of AI in video games could lead to fewer jobs in product development, graphic design and other crucial stages. While humans aren’t leaving the industry soon, their effect and influence on games could wane.
The uptick in AI tool use in gaming has reflected a larger trend in society as a whole. The rise of educational games has seen gaming enter the classroom. However, experts are now saying about 55% of teaching professionals have used AI for educational purposes as well.
A year after saying AI is a part of video game creation, developers have voiced their concerns about the advanced technology.
Buyer’s remorse is starting to set in for developers and AI experts who embraced this technology but now face the consequences.
“I have a PhD in AI and worked to develop some of the algorithms used by generative AI,” a GDC 2025 respondent said. “I deeply regret how naively I offered up my contributions.”
The 2025 State of the Game Industry Report indicated that 30% of developers felt negatively about AI’s place in the sector. In the 2024 report, about 18% of industry leaders held this view.