--- title: "EA’s Attempt to Use AI for Game Development Backfiring Horribly" description: "Staffers at major video game developer Electronic Arts told Business Insider, their employer's attempts to use AI are backfiring." date: "2025-10-27" modified: "2025-10-27" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ea-attempts-use-ai-game-development-backfiring" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Ethics" - "Future Society" --- # EA’s Attempt to Use AI for Game Development Backfiring Horribly ![Staffers at major video game developer Electronic Arts told Business Insider, their employer's attempts to use AI are backfiring.]() *Getty / Futurism* The video game industry is hellbent on harnessing the power of generative AI to boost productivity and dream up virtual worlds — while also cutting costs, of course. According to a [recent Google Cloud survey](), 87 percent of video game developers said they are using AI to automate and streamline tasks, a notable figure considering the industry has seen [massive layoffs]() as costs rise and demand weakens following major COVID-era growth. However, as staffers at major video game developer Electronic Arts — which is behind some of the biggest franchises in the industry, from "The Sims" to "Battlefield" — [told *Business Insider*](), their employer's attempts to shoehorn AI into everyday tasks are seriously backfiring. Some staffers told the outlet that the AI tools they're encouraged to use produce flawed code, among other hallucinations that need to be addressed. In other words, the tech may be [creating more work, not less]() — which doesn't bode well for an industry that's already infamous for its [crunch culture]() and [high turnover rate](). Others staff are even more apprehensive, saying they're being forced to dig their own graves by training AI programs to do their work. One former senior quality-assurance design employee told *BI* that he suspects the company laid him off this spring because AI was able to at least partially do his job of summarizing feedback from play testers. Workers are getting increasingly fed up with being roped into their bosses' all-in approach to AI, culminating in employees openly mocking them on Slack. One meme seen by *BI* poked fun at CEOs for wanting AI "right now," despite not knowing what to do with it. The trend also highlights the rift between the extremely high usage of AI among CEOs compared to much lower rates among employees. According to a [recent survey by HR company Dayforce](), a whopping 87 percent of executives said they used AI daily, compared to just 27 percent of workers. "It's a problem when the dogs won't eat the dog food," TD Cowen analyst Doug Creutz told *BI*. Workers at Electronic Arts are being put through multiple AI training courses, and are encouraged to view the tech as a "thought partner," according to internal documents seen by *BI*. They're even being advised on how to use chatbots to learn how to deal with underperforming direct reports. "AI in its different forms has always been central to this creative journey. We all remember playing against the AI, and it has evolved into today's innovations in generative AI," Electronic Arts CEO and chairman Andrew Wilson [told investors]() last year. "This remarkable technology is not merely a buzzword for us," he added. "It's the very core of our business." But despite its outwardly positive approach to the tech, the firm appears to be aware of the risks of overinvesting in it as well. Electronic Arts admitted that the use of AI "might present social and ethical issues that, if not managed appropriately, may result in legal and reputational harm, cause consumers to lose confidence in our business and brands and negatively impact our financial and operating results," according to a [recent Securities & Exchange Commission filing](). In other words, while video game companies continue to double down, players may be less enthusiastic about the prospect of playing AI-first games, as evidenced by [badly-received product demos]() such as leaked footage of an AI prototype of the protagonist of the game "Horizon Zero Dawn," which was mocked for being [out of touch and creepy](). And it's not just players who are fed up — many video game developers are also resisting AI. That's especially true for jobs that are by design intended to foster a more human connection between the game and the player. "Where work is highly personalized, identity-laden, or creative, employees want a human in the loop," MIT Sloan School of Management Jackson Lu told *BI*. **More on video games:** [*We’re Laugh-Crying at This Footage of an AI-Generated Video Game*]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()