Valve has announced that it is officially accepting AI content on Steam as part of its commitment to “ship as many games as possible” on the platform. A new AI disclosure section is being introduced for developers, while users can expect to see a new system that will allow them to report on illegal AI content.
Highlights:
- Developers must disclose whether AI content is “pre-generated” or “live-generated” as part of a new AI disclosure section
- This disclosure will be shared on their games’ respective store pages to show customers how they use AI
- Steam will implement a new system that lets players report “illegal content inside games that contain Live-Generated AI content,” via an in-game overlay
- Adult Only Sexual Content created with Live-Generated AI isn’t allowed “right now”
Valve’s Categories of AI usage in games:
- Pre-Generated: Any kind of content (art/code/sound/etc) created with the help of AI tools during development. Under the Steam Distribution Agreement, you promise Valve that your game will not include illegal or infringing content, and that your game will be consistent with your marketing materials. In our pre-release review, we will evaluate the output of AI generated content in your game the same way we evaluate all non-AI content – including a check that your game meets those promises.
- Live-Generated: Any kind of content created with the help of AI tools while the game is running. In addition to following the same rules as Pre-Generated AI content, this comes with an additional requirement: in the Content Survey, you’ll need to tell us what kind of guardrails you’re putting on your AI to ensure it’s not generating illegal content.
Additional comments:
…we needed some time to learn about the fast-moving and legally murky space of AI technology, especially given Steam’s worldwide reach.
…after spending the last few months learning more about this space and talking with game developers, we are making changes to how we handle games that use AI technology. This will enable us to release the vast majority of games that use it.
We’ll continue to learn from the games being submitted to Steam, and the legal progress around AI, and will revisit this decision when necessary.
Source: Steam