'Players don’t realise that their favourite games right now were already built with AI', says Google exec making AI tools

Team Fortress 2's Heavy looking confused — (Image credit: Valve)

The gaming industry is in a bit of a shambles right now, and everyone from developers to gamers would agree. AI's infiltration into the gaming industry is the latest scare for players and devs alike, but it's also a solution according to others. Just yesterday, we reported that Jack Buser, Google Cloud's global director for games, views AI as a salve for the industry's problems.

Well, in an interview with Mobilegamer.biz, that very same Jack Buser states that more game studios are using AI-powered tools in development than are willing to publicly reveal.

"I think what players don’t realise is that their favourite games right now were already built with AI," Buser says. "Those games have shipped. We did a survey around Gamescom last summer with studios all over the world. Roughly nine out of 10 game developers told us, yeah, we’re using it."

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He explains that, when we've seen reports like 50% of developers believing generative AI to be bad for the industry—a dramatic increase over the past few years—"that gap is basically the developers' willingness to tell you whether the fact of the matter is it’s being used." Given the very quick, strong reactions towards AI right now, he suggests some studios aren't willing to take the risk in disclosing it.

Right now, Google Cloud's AI tools like Gemini and Nano Banana Pro are, in Buser's words, removing "the drudgery and repetitive, low-value work". For example, he cites Capcom, which has used these tools to "rapidly generate…countless ideas" (such as "pebbles on the side of the road") and "curate" them before the art director can get the team working on making them for real.

It's worth noting that Capcom hasn't been shy about its use of AI in game development, though where it draws the line is unclear. It "will not implement assets generated by AI", but it does use it to "enhance efficiency and boost productivity."

Buser believes that the dislike and distrust of AI tools in games will soon shift once players realise it's "actually helping me get my favourite games faster", and with "more innovation in the industry because there’s more room to take risk".

I agree with Buser's summary of the state of the industry—rightly pointing out burgeoning budgets and more players are sticking to older games—but I'm less convinced that AI is the golden ticket.

Rory has made the fatal error of playing way too many live service games at once, and somehow still finding time for everything in between. Sure, he’s an expert at Destiny 2, Call of Duty, and more, but at what cost? He’s even sunk 1,000 hours into The Elder Scrolls Online over the years. At least he put all those hours spent grinding challenges to good use over the years as a freelancer and guides editor. In his spare time, he’s also an avid video creator, often breaking down the environmental design of his favourite games. If you can’t track him down, he’s probably lost in a cave with a bunch of dwarves shouting “rock and stone” to no end.

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