Steam Users Show Surprising Tolerance for AI in Games, Survey Reveals Only 8% Refuse to Buy

Survey finds only 31% of Steam users have a problem with AI in games, with 43% totally fine with it

Only 8% said they wouldn't play a game with AI under any circumstance When it seems like the entire world, or at least everyone in the gaming community, is united in defiance against the proliferation of AI in games, it's jarring to see game companies increasingly embrace the tech as a way to streamline efficiency and, in a lot of cases, displace human jobs. A recent survey could shed some light on that dichotomy. In a recent survey of 3,800 Steam players conducted by The GameDiscoverCo newsletter, an alarming number of respondents expressed that they were mostly fine with AI being used in video games. The results found that, of surveyed respondents, a whopping 23.4% "have absolutely no problem with it," which I find shocking, while 19.6% said they were simply "fine with it." The greatest share of responders said they're "neutral" on AI in games at 25.6%, while 23.3% said they're "not super keen on it," and a tiny 8.1% said they wouldn't consider playing a game with AI in it under any circumstance. Thankfully, Valve mandates that all developers on Steam disclaim whether AI was used on their games and to what degree, so players across the spectrum of acceptance of AI have the tools to be informed before making a purchase. And that's where developers and publishers looking to push AI should heed warning, as a separate survey proves that while tolerance for AI in games is still surprisingly high, people are paying attention. That other survey found that 44.4% of respondents, "check in detail" to see whether a Steam game was made using the help of AI, while 44.7% said they'll "glance at it but not pay much attention. 10.9% said they "won't try to read it" at all. That means nearly 90% of polled Steam users will typically check a game's AI disclaimer before buying the game, which suggests to me that most PC gamers aren't ready to just roll over and let gen-AI slop slip its way into games without check. It's worth noting that the surveys' respondents aren't reflective of the overall Steam player base, and are, in The GameDiscoverCo's words, "more committed than normal." Still, the results are useful in gauging how a particular brand of Steam user feels about AI in game development at the current moment, a topic which will continue to evolve alongside AI and the overall industry's approach to the tech. Here are the best PC games to play right now.

Only 8% of Steam users say they wouldn't buy a game if it contained AI

43% of respondents were pretty okay with the technology being used in their games. Generative AI always sparks a huge backlash online, but those wanting to use it in the development of their games may be pleased to hear it seems most Steam users don't really care whether AI is included in a game they're looking to buy. A new study has found that only 31% of users have a negative reaction to AI, but just 8% of them wouldn't buy a game because of it under any circumstance. This research comes from GameDiscover.co, showing responses to the question "what's your view on buying Steam games that have any kind of 'we used AI' disclosure?" Steam will always tell users when AI has been included in game development, with the developer being given the chance to explain further on a game's store page. 23.4% said they have absolutely no problem with it, 19.6% were fine with AI use, and 25.6% were neutral on the matter. 23.3% weren't "super keen" on AI in their games, but only 8% made the statement that they'd not buy a game under any circumstance that had used AI. The sample size for this study was around 3,800 Steam users, a minute fraction of the players on Valve's digital platform. But, it could show wider trends among gamers as AI becomes more commonplace in our games. Even big hits like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Crimson Desert have been found to have used generative AI for placeholder images, and while those issues did bring up a lot of controversy, they didn't stop those games from selling millions of copies. It's probably music to the ears of developers and publishers who want to push further into generative AI content to hear about these figures, as they show despite a small percentage of gamers making their voices heard about being anti-AI, a large portion of players are either fine with it or don't care.