If you listen to Google, Meta and Microsoft, you'd be forgiven for believing that Generative AI is the future of, well, everything.
However, a new survey of over 2,300 game developers published by GDC (thanks, PC Gamer) has revealed that a growing number of people within the industry are becoming less enamoured with the technology, which is trained on human-made data often without permission and raises significant ethical and environmental issues.
The study reveals that the number of games industry professionals actively using Generative AI has risen slightly since 2021, from 31 percent to 33 percent. However, the overall vibe about the controversial tech has shifted somewhat more dramatically.
Two years ago, 18 percent of respondents said they thought Generative AI is having "a negative impact on the game industry," while in this year's survey, that figure has risen to 52 per cent. Last year, the figure sat at 30 percent.
Those who thought Generative AI was a good thing have dropped from 13 percent last year to 7 percent this year. According to the survey, artists, designers, writers, and programmers are those who have the dimmest view of the tech, but those in upper management positions are more likely to be using it on a regular basis.
As highlighted by PC Gamer, some of those surveyed left comments about their feelings on Generative AI. While one neurodivergent respondent said AI is great when they're struggling with "segmenting big picture ideas to manageable small tasks," another was less kind, claiming that generative AI is "built on theft and plagiarism".
Another said that "I'd rather quit the industry than use Generative AI," while someone else revealed the "standing rule" within their studio:
"If one of us brings up using GenAI in any of our work, then it's safe to assume we've been assimilated by The Thing and should be burned alive by Kurt Russell."