- Epic Games CEO says ‘almost all’ future games will be made using AI
- That means Steam using AI tags ‘doesn’t make sense,’ says Sweeney
- AI use in game development has been a divisive issue in recent times
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney is known for his occasionally controversial stances, and the game boss is back in the spotlight with a comment about the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in games – and not everyone will be happy.
Responding to a comment on X, Sweeney said that “Steam and all digital marketplaces need to drop the ‘Made with AI’ tag. It doesn’t mean anything anymore.”
In response, Sweeney agreed with the comment: “Agreed. The AI tag is relevant for art exhibitions for authorship disclosure purposes and for digital content licensed marketplaces where buyers need to understand the rights situation. It makes no sense for game stores where AI will be involved in almost all future production.”
Epic Games has a notably different approach to rival online game storefront Steam on this point. Information about the use of AI in game development is not displayed in Epic’s online store. On Steam, they are prominently displayed so customers can see if artificial intelligence has been used in the creation of the game.
On the Steam page for the popular ARC Raiders game, for example, Steam lists the following: “The developers describe how their games use AI-generated content like this: During the development process, we may use procedural and AI-based tools to assist in content creation. In all such cases, the final product reflects the creativity and expression of our own development team.” However, that statement is nowhere to be found on Epic Games’ online store.
Analysis: A difficult problem
Sweeney’s comments may strike a chord (positive or negative) with gamers, and the role of AI in game development has been a hot topic in recent times. ARC Raiders drew a lot of criticism for its use of AI-generated vocal lines, which critics said could encourage more developers to take jobs away from human creators.
The issue Sweeney discussed – the “rights situation” – is particularly relevant in games, where it may be unclear whether AI-generated content has violated the rights of whoever created the elements on which the AI was trained. But Sweeney seems to argue that this is not a relevant concern in the gaming field, as “AI will be involved in almost all future production” anyway.
Whether he’s right or wrong, plenty of game studios are either considering using AI during production or are already actively doing so. Still, there are many developers who have taken the opposite stance and ruled out using AI tools in their titles.
This is clearly still a difficult issue in the industry, and with different retailers and developers taking different approaches, it’s unlikely to be resolved anytime soon.
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