Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has renewed his criticism of Steam's policy requiring developers to disclose the use of generative AI in their games. Sweeney argues that these store page labels risk evolving from technical disclosures into ideological markers, potentially inciting negative sentiment from anti-AI consumers and impacting sales.
The debate was reignited by Matt Workman, an employee at cloud generation firm Fal, who labeled the ongoing requirement to disclose AI usage by 2026 as absurd. Sweeney supported this stance, previously comparing the labels to a scarlet letter and suggesting that as AI becomes ubiquitous in development, such specific tagging loses its practical meaning.
Valve maintains that its current policy is designed to ensure transparency for buyers regarding content creation methods. The company noted that it does not prohibit the use of new technologies and indicated that rules may be adjusted as the industry evolves. For example, the store page for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 already includes a disclosure regarding the use of AI tools for certain assets.
The broader controversy encompasses concerns over training data rights, the impact of AI on creative workflows, and the environmental costs of large-scale systems. Epic Games recently acknowledged using AI for programming assistance in its launcher updates. Meanwhile, the company adjusted its own Unreal Engine contest rules, shifting from mandatory AI tool requirements to allowing participants to decide the extent of their usage.
