According to a report by the foreign media Gamesradar, the market research firm GameDiscoverCo conducted a survey of 3,800 Steam players on the role of AI in game development, and the results were surprising for many. The data shows that a significant proportion of respondents are not opposed to the use of AI in video games, and their attitudes are much more open than previously expected.

Looking specifically at the results, 23.4% of players said they are "completely fine" with the use of AI in games, while 19.6% said they "can accept" it. Together, these two groups account for over 43%. The largest group, however, is neutral: 25.6% of respondents held a "neutral" attitude toward AI. In fact, those who strongly oppose AI are a minority: 23.3% said they "are not particularly fond of" games using AI, and only 8.1% expressed the strongest stance, saying they would never consider playing a game that uses AI under any circumstances.

Nearly 90% of players check AI disclosures before purchasing, but most just "glance at" them

Previously, Valve required all Steam developers to disclose whether and how much AI is used in their games on the store page, so players can access necessary information before buying, regardless of their acceptance level. The survey also examined how much attention players pay to this disclosure mechanism: 44.4% of respondents said they would "read it carefully," while 44.7% said they would "take a quick look but not care much," and only 10.9% said they "never look at it."

This means that nearly 90% of Steam users at least notice AI-related information before buying a game, and the transparent disclosure system is working. However, the proportions of those who "read it carefully" and those who "take a quick look" are almost equal, indicating that although most players care about whether AI is used, they do not consider it a decisive factor in their purchasing decisions.

An open attitude does not mean there is no controversy; the AI topic will continue to evolve.

GameDiscoverCo noted that the users who participated in this survey are "more engaged" than average players, so the results better reflect the true attitudes of core player groups. This data provides an insight for the outside world, helping to understand how current Steam users view the sensitive issue of AI's involvement in game development.

Combined with a previous report from Game Oracle—where the rating scores of games openly using AI decreased by about 53%—these two surveys paint a complex picture of AI's position in the gaming industry. There is a subtle tension between the acceptance expressed by players in the questionnaire and the resistance seen in actual purchasing behavior. As AI technology continues to develop and the way the gaming industry uses it keeps changing, the role and boundaries of AI in game development will remain a long-term point of contention between developers and players.