Valve Dev Fires Back After Epic Comments on Steam AI Disclosure

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The discussion about using AI in video games is ongoing. Recently, someone from Valve responded to comments made by Tim Sweeney, the CEO of Epic Games, regarding how games created with AI are identified on Steam. Both developers and players have strong opinions about AI in games, debating its role not just in the creation process, but also in how games are sold on platforms like Steam.

Okay, so this whole thing started when an AI lobbyist, Matt Workman, suggested Steam and other stores stop tagging games that use AI. Epic Games’ CEO, Tim Sweeney, pretty much agreed, saying it doesn’t make sense for Steam to highlight AI use. His point is, so many games already use AI, and that number is only going to grow, so the tag would become pointless. It’s interesting because Epic actually doesn’t require games on their store to be labeled if they use AI, but Steam and Itch.io do.

Valve Dev Fires Back About AI

I’ve been following this whole debate, and now Valve artist Ayi Sanchez has jumped in with a really good point! They responded to Matt Workman’s original tweet, and basically said that not having clear info about what’s in a game is like buying food without an ingredient list. I totally agree – we as players deserve to know what we’re getting! Sanchez even added that the people who don’t want to label things are probably worried their game isn’t up to par, which makes a lot of sense to me.

Workman replied to Sanchez, who argued that products like food need labeling due to potential consumer harm, unlike AI. Sanchez then clarified that the issue was about ethics – people deserve to know the origins of a product’s materials and labor to make informed purchasing decisions.

Sanchez argued that technology enabling the copying of culture, intellectual property theft, and the creation of low-quality content shouldn’t be tolerated. He emphasized that true creation comes from artists themselves, not simply from those who write prompts for AI. Ultimately, Sanchez believes informed consumers will choose original works over imitations.

It’s easy to see why game developers like Sanchez are cautious about using AI. The industry has already faced many layoffs, and AI could lead to even more job losses. While some believe AI can speed up development and lower costs, others, like developers at EA who are now required to use AI tools like GPT in their work, have expressed concerns.

Workman and Sweeney have a point. Simply stating that AI was used in a game isn’t very useful for players, especially as AI becomes more common. Some believe the solution isn’t to remove these labels, but to provide more detailed information about how AI was implemented. The extent of AI use also seems important – for example, Black Ops 7 faced criticism for using AI-generated images for minor elements like calling cards.

The question of how AI should be used in games is still up for debate. While AI is becoming more common in games, companies like OpenAI are currently dealing with copyright issues related to the data used to create their AI models. Despite this uncertainty, Valve is sticking to its policy of requiring clear labeling when AI is used in games.

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2025-11-29 08:04