Venture Capitalist ‘Shocked And Sad’ About How Much Gamers Hate AI

A GDC survey of game industry workers, released ahead of the conference, found just 7 percent of respondents described generative AI as "good for the industry". The result set the tone for panels and left many executives and investors grappling with strong player antipathy.

Moritz Baier-Lentz of Lightspeed Venture Partners — which holds stakes in multiple AI firms, most notably Anthropic — said he was "shocked and sad" by the negativity. He urged skeptics to give the technology a chance, noting that gaming has often embraced "marvelous new technology." Baier-Lentz suggested one driver of the pessimism is also fueling C-suite enthusiasm: layoffs.

He argued that staff reductions follow naturally after heavy COVID-era investment in digital entertainment, while corporations have shown open excitement about automated labor. Layoffs are only one wedge between AI and gaming.

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