Further, 90% report that AI is reducing repetitive tasks in their work, and 94% even see it as driving innovation.
The technology has upended «norms in developers’ daily lives and work processes,» the study finds.
Respondents find it helps not only with problem-solving (84%), but in prototyping and iteration (83%), brainstorming and ideation (81%) and of course in quality and testing (83%).
New AI roles emerging
56% report that existing roles have evolved to include AI-related tasks, and 62% say new AI-based roles have emerged.
The biggest advantage of using AI is in player retention and engagement (40%) and in speeding up delivery (40%) the developers reckon.
36% of the coders in the survey said they are using AI for dynamic level design, animation and dialogue — and says it increases their creative flexibility.
Some 37% say players already expect more dynamic and «alive» games, and 89% see AI is changing what players expect.
Easier for Indies, cheaper for studios
Even the costs are coming down, making it more viable for indie developers to produce high class games, with some 40% of respondents saying it is creating new business models and strategies, while 94% expect costs to come down.
On the downside, there were 63% that had concerns about «data ownership and IP,» and 25% cited difficulty measuring the success of AI implementations.
Fully embracing AI tech
So it’s safe to say that the most dynamic part of the coding business has already embraced AI with open arms and see little downside to using it — and almost everyone in the gaming industry is using it.
When will this trickle down to a new generation of AI-powered games, that are more «alive» and dynamic? Too soon to tell.
The survey was conducted in the United States, South Korea, Finland, Norway, and Sweden among 615 adults working in game development between June 20, 2025 – July 9, 2025.
Read more: The survey by Google Cloud, writeups by Games Industry.biz, Reuters.