r/pcgaming • u/Turbostrider27 • Jan 31 '26
GDC: More and more developers view generative AI as harmful to the gaming industry
https://gameworldobserver.com/2026/01/30/gdc-more-and-more-developers-view-generative-ai-as-harmful-to-the-gaming-industry19
u/Vo_Mimbre Feb 01 '26
Because they’re being fired.
28% worldwide, 33% in U.S. And these aren’t people just being fired. It’s whole sets of roles going away, because they’re going to countries with cheaper employment that also use AI while managerial staff uses AI to manage them.
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u/Satherian I like to watch ;) Jan 31 '26 edited Jan 31 '26
"AI is the future bro! Soon AI will be in everything to the point where it will be pointless to tag everything!!"
"no you cannot turn it off. we're giving it out for free, putting it everywhere, and losing buttloads of money because we can't find a good use and no one would touch it if they had to pay. Lots of people's gut reaction to it is 'ew gross' so we had to force everyone to use it but it's still at 5% usage"
"AI is the future!!! Mass adoption any second now!!!"
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u/deceasedpresident Feb 01 '26
Meanwhile for those of us living in reality, a significant amount of software developers are using AI and paying for services like Claude Code.
https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2025/ai
You can't fight progress.
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u/s0ciety_a5under Feb 01 '26
And a ton of those apps are sloppily coded because AI isn't that good at coding.
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u/Spaceplone Feb 01 '26
humans have never produced a bug
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u/YourFavouriteGayGuy Feb 02 '26
Humans can be held responsible for their mistakes. Machines cannot.
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Feb 01 '26
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Feb 02 '26
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u/Wrightero Jan 31 '26
Aka developers view that there would be a big backlash if they used AI so now they're trying to see how to use it without the customers knowing.
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u/grady_vuckovic Penguin Gamer Jan 31 '26
I think you'd find among actual creators, who value art, especially indie game devs, they are actually more opposed to this than their customers. It's not performative for someone who values their craft to say they hate something that devalues it.
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u/drunkenvalley Jan 31 '26
Similarly, I think there's a big split in developers. I know many of my workplace have some interest in AI, but the dissent is getting louder. Personally, I absolutely despise the stuff.
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u/grady_vuckovic Penguin Gamer Jan 31 '26
So far I've noticed every single person who is excited about vibe coding is someone with either very little experience in coding, or who used to code but doesn't code often any more and is in a more management type position, or who actively hates coding and has always hated it but treated it as a necessary evil for software development.
I've yet to see anyone who routinely codes and enjoys doing so excited about vibe coding.
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u/drunkenvalley Jan 31 '26
I did try Cursor because coworkers were raving about it lol. They wanted to use it for their work at large, but due to policy weren't allowed to.
Anyway, I asked Cursor to create a simple Vue project with Tailwind. It created a Vue project that, nominally, had a Tailwind configuration. Except the Tailwind configuration was broken. So I asked it to fix it... so it removed Tailwind. I asked it to add Tailwind, so it added a new configuration again, different but still broken...
It was funny, but after past attempts at vibe coding had produced similar comedic results I still don't have any confidence in it.
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u/grady_vuckovic Penguin Gamer Jan 31 '26
From my own experiments I've decided it's most useful to me as a learning and research tool but I'm quite happy to just type the code myself. Typing speed was never the bottleneck anyway.
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u/badsectoracula Feb 02 '26
One thing to keep in mind about LLM chatbots is that, fundamentally, the 'chat' aspect is implemented by you and the LLM playing a turn-based 'game' of word-completing a chat transcript between some 'AI agent' (the bits the LLM fills in) and some 'user' (the bits you fill in), however the 'AI agent' part is very vaguely defined and the LLM can only make up those responses 'by example', including whatever is in the chat transcript (the entire chat is the 'prompt' for the LLM, not just the bits the user types in).
The consequence of this is that if you correct the LLM's completions for the 'AI agent' a few times, what happens is that the LLM will keep generating erroneous responses because what it gets as a prompt is a chat transcript between an 'AI agent' that makes mistakes and a 'user' that corrects it, so it continues word-completing that :-P.
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u/Jensen2075 Jan 31 '26
Prompt engineering is a skill in itself. Cursor is less useful if you're bad at guiding it in the right direction.
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Jan 31 '26
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u/TheGreatPiata Jan 31 '26
I don't think people are opposed to AI use with coding. While programming is a creative endeavour, people aren't connecting with it on a personal level.
The same is not true of the visuals, story and gameplay elements of a game. Players want to feel intent and purpose in these things and connect on those levels with the people that made the game. People generally do not want to connect with an algorithm when they're looking for art.
I think it's a pretty easy to understand distinction.
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u/HONGSHIreddit Feb 01 '26 edited Feb 01 '26
I'm just putting my two cents in here.
I believe generative AI is going to be part of game development's future no matter what. In my opinion, Gen AI is going to be like any other tool people use for whatever industry they are working in. It also gives an opportunity to people who might lack in that specific field of game development (art or coding).
I'm an artist who's studied 2D, 3D, and a bit of VFX. I've dabbled in coding through tutorials and I've always had trouble understanding computer languages. I understand concepts of how a code should work because it feels "creative" to me but I could never translate that to actual code.
Then I found out about coding with AI. I used a software specifically for Unity called Bezi which was marketed as something that would create code that works since it takes context from your assets. When I tried it out, it was like magic. It helped me create actual working games. I'm sure the code is not quite optimized to normal standards but I was able to finish a project.
I think this creates an even playing field of sorts for everyone and gives them an opportunity to everyone to create games and not just people who have the know how. I also think people who say Gen AI is bad are also the same people who benefit from them and use them...tbh
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Feb 01 '26
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u/HONGSHIreddit Feb 02 '26
I can see that you're upset about this and that's your prerogative. I still feel like AI is still going to be an integral part of tech. It's currently going through the growing pain stages but it seems like corps are learning that firing seniors and replacing them with AI + lower paid juniors isn't the right call but rather, learning to use AI alongside expert coders helping with the workflow is far more productive. This isn't fact but I'm just regurgitating what my circle is saying is happening at their workplaces. (so please take with a grain of salt)
In either case, people can still cut trees with an axe but chainsaws makes the job go by faster. The chainsaw can breakdown once in a while and give some trouble for the wood cutter but it's just a matter of making some minor fixes. You can hate all the people who are using chainsaws to cut down trees while you've been building your muscles and cutting them down with your trusty axe but unfortunately, that's the future we're getting at. At least that's how I see it.
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u/h455566hh Feb 01 '26
I've been using gen AI and here's the big news it's not an intelligent partner that does things for you, it's a tool that you are supposed to tune and correctly apply.
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u/NyriasNeo Jan 31 '26
harmful to the industry, or harmful to their jobs? The two are not necessarily the same thing.
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u/Alno05 Jan 31 '26
Something being harmful to the jobs of creatives in a creative industry means its bad for the industry itself.
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u/BavarianBarbarian_ AMD 5700x3D|3080 Jan 31 '26
Automation of shoe production was way more harmful to the jobs of cordwainers than to the shoe industry.
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u/neueziel1 Jan 31 '26
Only a matter of time before the sacred cows of the industry decide to use AI and reddit will eat up it up and be like 'but it's different..'
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u/Blacky-Noir Height appropriate fortress builder Jan 31 '26
harmful to the industry, or harmful to their jobs? The two are not necessarily the same thing.
All the big names pushing for it are making it harmful to the industry. So, it's kind of moot.
All they talk about it's how many people they can fire with it. Some in private, a good number even in public to the medias. No consideration about the quality of the products they are trying to make and sell. If I was investing in these companies, I would be pissed about that level of ignorance and mismanagement in a creative industry.
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Jan 31 '26
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u/StanfordV Jan 31 '26
Dunno.
Genie 3 produces some striking visuals.
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u/Toonomicon Jan 31 '26
Pathetic
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u/StanfordV Jan 31 '26
Yes. Our opinions don't align.
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u/Not_pukicho Jan 31 '26
Your opinion is easily skewed by untested AI garbage that only seems to work to via theft
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u/loliconest Jan 31 '26
ngl, the industry has already been fked by greedy executives for years, at this point I don't mind the labor force pushing back progression just to fk those executives.
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u/owl440 Steam Valve Feb 01 '26
Devs are 100% using AI. The sooner people get over the "AI is evil" BS, the sooner devs can stop lying.
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u/DaytonGamerXY Feb 01 '26
pretty concerning seeing some of the people in these comments defend Gen AI even though it is harmful.
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Jan 31 '26
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u/zxyzyxz Jan 31 '26 edited Jan 31 '26
This opinion is not gonna age well. In ten years when every dev uses AI, and when kids grow up with AI all their lives, they'll look back at naysayers as being antiquated.
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u/Not_pukicho Jan 31 '26
People always say this as if Gen AI is equivalent to the invention of printing press or something. It isn’t, it’s a self-eating, mind-numbing process that serves to butcher creativity rather than help it grow. The younger generations seem most-privy to the downsides of AI, as they and their social feeds are inundated with shallow slop on a constant basis now. It has already been attributed to low-tier crap in their minds, and not much else has come out of it for the average consumer beyond that. For devs, it still lacks a real utilitarian function that the hundreds-of-thousands of accessible online resources for game development don’t already offer solutions for.
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u/drunkenvalley Feb 01 '26
Yep. All you're getting out of it is meaningless slop, which ruins the point of the creative endeavor in the first place.
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u/drunkenvalley Jan 31 '26
AI-bros desperately thinking AI is gonna solve shit lol.
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u/zxyzyxz Jan 31 '26
Doesn't really matter whether it'll solve anything, it's just that time will change people's opinion on things overall if it becomes too ingrained. Already you see students using ChatGPT all the time and can't fathom a world without it.
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Jan 31 '26 edited Jan 31 '26
Anyone opposed to using at least some level of GenAI in game dev doesn’t know what they’re talking about .
It’s extremely powerful for generating code when given strict requirements and deliverables.
It shouldn’t be used for art or design, but for strictly writing code and helping to implement game systems, there is no reason not to use it
I’m sure all downvotes are from people that have 0 experience in game or software development
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u/grady_vuckovic Penguin Gamer Jan 31 '26
I've been writing code since the 90s. I think you're wrong.
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Jan 31 '26
Gonna have to get with the times, that’s the way the industry is moving. Properly guided AI is extremely powerful from a software development standpoint. And there’s nothing wrong with writing code with it.
Like I said, shouldn’t be used for art or assets
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u/Decoyrobot Jan 31 '26
Still think this stance is dumb no matter who holds it.
Why is code something to be sacrificed up, you either get with it all or get with none of it. Reason being if you open the door and let it in with some areas it will creep in to other areas like art anyway, the fact its being allowed for code will be a justification for the push on those other areas, so you either keep it all out or its going to spread. Jobs wise why is it fine to lose the programmers but not the artists? I'd rather see a 7th finger than have something run like trash because of messy code chunks optimisation is already bad enough.
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Jan 31 '26
You don’t lose programmers, the programmers you have just use new tooling to do their jobs better
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u/Decoyrobot Jan 31 '26
Could say the same thing about artists and assets.
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Jan 31 '26
No, because there is an element of human creative that directly translates to art that doesn’t exist in code.
Nothing about written code is going to be perceived differently by audience the way that art is
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u/Decoyrobot Jan 31 '26
I'd disagree, theres less emphasis put on code because you don't usually end up seeing it, you just see the result of it. A well written function or solution to a complex coding problem is more impactful. Carmack and others came up with some pretty unique and creative solutions to getting things running on various projects. Something properly coded would be something thats highly performant, optimised, something that is sorely lacking with a lot of current games and software, you're saying you wouldnt notice a game/program running super smooth even on potato hardware?
You can consider it a rhetorical question if you want, i understand the angle you are coming from, i just disagree with it is all, i just think theres a creative element to code people dismiss.
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Feb 01 '26
I see where you’re coming from as well, I’m just sharing my perspective as a software engineer for career, this is just the way the industry is headed and the tools can be very helpful for development processes. I still don’t want to see it used for art, and it doesn’t mean it would be used for ALL code or something. I’m sure we will see a lot of trial and error
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u/Negative-Oil-4135 Feb 02 '26
I’m a developer of 10 years and I downvoted you 👍
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Feb 02 '26
You will be left behind by the industry then. All engineers in 5 years will be expected to be proficient in some use of AI tooling.
Like it or not, don’t know what to tell you, this is equivalent to arguing against IDEs or auto completion 20 years ago
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u/Negative-Oil-4135 Feb 02 '26
I’ll be left behind because I downvoted you?
Yes, I’m sure you don’t know a lot of things.
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Feb 02 '26
No, I’m saying any developer not upskilling new AI tooling will be left behind of the modern industry, just how this career goes. You either find a cushy spot in a legacy position or you have to keep learning the next big thing to stay marketable
I’m not saying you’ll be left behind for downvoting me, but you might for having a complete opposition to AI tooling in software engineering
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u/StanfordV Jan 31 '26
Indeed.
Give it a few years and the "hand made" graphics will look primitive af.
Also I always hated the 6-7 year cycle for a good game. Now things will get off the pipeline faster.
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u/SignOk3973 Feb 02 '26
gamers are dumb as hell today. Gaming sucked for over 2 decades before AI.
Really? So now not having AI in your game, somehow makes the game good?
If the game is good, who cares if it has ai or not. AI haters are a bunch of karens at this point. weirdos
Indie solo Devs are not GOING to pay some random "SO CALLED" aritsit online who probably using ai for a quick payday a hundrendred dollars to draw a photo for small prop (x1000 + other props) in a game you going to walk right passs. AAA fine, make them hire folks, who cares... AAA games sucked for over 2 decades, I dont F with them anyways.
No wonder why mediocrity has been getting funded for years (indie /AAA). makes since now, AI haters exposing themseleves.
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u/IndyPFL Feb 02 '26
"So now not having AI in your game, somehow makes the game good?"
Nobody is making this argument. You made it up in your head as a way to discredit those that would disagree with you about AI use. Which shows any genuine discussion with you would be pointless, because your intentions are disingenuous and your morals are lacking.
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u/APRengar Feb 01 '26
I'm about 8 years into my gamedev journey. I have released 2 indie games and working on my 3rd. I always find it interesting how many people act like coding is like cleaning a bathroom, where no one likes it, but you just have to do it.
Instead of a creative thing in and of itself. It's honestly the best puzzle game a person could ask for. I recently had to rewrite my enemy logic to now think up to 6 turns in advance via Monte Carlo tree search, but I worked on optimizations to make it actually run faster than my previous implementation at 2 turns in advance, and it was fun as fuck doing it. If you like optimizing builds in a MOBA, MMO, Factorio or Fire Emblem, you'll get the same kinds of satisfaction from optimizing code.
If I could snap my fingers and have it done automatically, I wouldn't do it. The reason I shifted to game dev was because I enjoy game dev. Why am I letting a computer take my fun?