GDC Survey: 40% of Game Developers Now Use Generative AI on the Job

Forty percent of game developers say they use generative AI as part of their job, up from 36 percent in 2025, according to the GDC Festival of Gaming's latest annual industry survey. Usage is highest at free-to-play developers (58 percent) and mobile-only studios (70 percent), with research and brainstorming (73 percent) the top use case. The survey also found 34 percent of respondents were laid off sometime in the past two years.