- Epic Games CEO says ‘nearly all’ future games will be made using AI
- That means Steam using AI tags ‘makes no sense,’ Sweeney says
- AI use in game development has been a divisive issue in recent times
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney is well-known for his occasionally controversial stances, and the gaming chief has waded into the spotlight again with a comment on the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in gaming – and not everyone will be pleased.
Sweeney was replying to a comment on X saying that “Steam and all digital marketplaces need to drop the “Made with AI” label. It doesn’t matter any more.”
In response, Sweeney concurred with the comment: “Agreed. The AI tag is relevant to art exhibits for authorship disclosure, and to digital content licensing marketplaces where buyers need to understand the rights situation. It makes no sense for game stores, where AI will be involved in nearly all future production.”
Epic Games takes a notably different approach to rival online game storefront Steam on this point. Disclosures surrounding the use of AI in games development are not displayed in Epic’s online store. On Steam, they’re shown prominently, allowing customers to see whether artificial intelligence has been used in the creation of the game.
On the Steam page for the popular ARC Raiders game, for instance, Steam displays the following: “The developers describe how their game uses AI Generated Content like this: During the development process, we may use procedural- and AI-based tools to assist with content creation. In all such cases, the final product reflects the creativity and expression of our own development team.” That statement is nowhere to be found on Epic Games’ online store, however.
Analysis: A thorny issue
Sweeney’s comments might strike a chord (positive or negative) with gamers, and AI’s role in game development has been a hot topic in recent times. ARC Raiders came in for much criticism for its use of AI-generated vocal lines, which critics said could encourage more developers to take jobs away from human creators.
The matter that Sweeney was discussing – the “rights situation” – is particularly pertinent in gaming, where it can be unclear whether AI-generated content has infringed upon the rights of whoever created the elements that the AI was trained on. But Sweeney seems to be arguing that this is not a relevant concern in the gaming sphere, since “AI will be involved in nearly all future production” anyway.
Whether he’s right or wrong, plenty of games studios are either considering using AI during production or are already actively doing so. Yet there are many developers that have taken the opposite stance and have ruled out employing AI tools in their titles.
This is clearly still a thorny issue in the industry, and with different retailers and developers taking different approaches, it’s unlikely to be solved any time soon.
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