EA CEO Andrew Wilson says AI and machine learning are now involved in about 85% of the company's quality assurance work, while arguing that the technology has not replaced EA's need for human QA staff.

Speaking on stage at iicon in Las Vegas, Wilson said the publisher uses machine learning or AI-driven algorithms across what he described as almost all of its QA pipeline. His example was not game-specific, but it gives a rare public number for how deeply one of gaming's biggest publishers has folded automated tools into testing.

"I saw some data recently, I think, now almost all, like 85%, of our quality assurance [work] is done with some kind of machine learning or AI-driven algorithm," Wilson said.

Wilson framed that work as automation of basic checks, such as turning a box on and off, booting up, shutting down and watching for crashes. The human role, in his description, comes after those tests produce results.

"Yet as a company, we hire more QA people than we ever have."

That distinction matters in an industry where AI tools are often discussed alongside job fears, especially at large publishers with many annualized and live-service projects. EA's slate includes Madden, Battlefield, The Sims and EA Sports FC, but Wilson did not tie the QA comments to any specific game.

Asked where AI might replace jobs at EA instead of helping workers, Wilson answered: "So far, it's been almost entirely augmentation."

The remarks came during the opening panel at iicon, a new Entertainment Software Association event aimed at gathering gaming, technology, entertainment and sports leaders. Wilson also pushed back on the idea that AI-powered creation tools would soon let a teenager make a Battlefield, Call of Duty, GTA, The Sims or EA Sports FC-scale game from a garage.

"I am all about empowering our communities to go create," Wilson said. "Do I think that a 16-year-old in a garage is going to create a Battlefield or an EA Sports FC or a Sims or a Call of Duty or a GTA? I actually don't think that's going to happen anytime soon."

Wilson's comments do not settle the broader debate over AI in game development, but they put EA's current public position on the record: more automation in QA, more people interpreting the results and no specific claim that AI is replacing its QA workforce today.