- The CEO of Epic Games says that “almost all” future games will be made with artificial intelligence
- This means Steam’s use of AI tags “doesn’t make sense,” says Sweeney.
- The use of artificial intelligence in game development has been a controversial topic lately.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney is known for his sometimes controversial views, and the game boss is back in the spotlight with a comment about the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in gaming, and not everyone is going to be happy about it.
Sweeney replied Remark and said: “Steam and all digital marketplaces need to abandon the ‘Made with AI’ label. It doesn’t matter anymore.”
In response: Sweeney agreed. with the comment: “Okay. The AI label is relevant for art exhibitions for authorship approval and for digital content licensing markets where buyers need to understand the rights situation. It doesn’t make sense for game stores, where AI will be involved in almost all future productions.”
Epic Games is taking a completely different approach here than online game provider Steam. Information about the use of AI in game development is not displayed in the Epic online store. They will appear prominently on Steam so customers can see if AI was used in the game’s development.
For example, on the Steam page for the popular game ARC Raiders, Steam states the following: “The developers describe how their game uses AI-generated content as follows: During the development process, we may use procedural and AI-based tools to support content creation. In all of these cases, the final product reflects the creativity and expression of our development team. However, this statement is nowhere to be found in the online store.”
Analysis: a sensitive subject
Sweeney’s comments may resonate with gamers (positively or negatively), and the role of artificial intelligence in game development has been a hot topic lately. ARC Raiders has drawn a lot of criticism for its use of AI-generated voice lines, which critics say could encourage more developers to take work from human creators.
The issue Sweeney raises – the “rights situation” – is particularly relevant in the gaming industry, where it is unclear whether AI-generated content has violated the rights of those who created the objects on which the AI was trained. But Sweeney seems to argue that this is not a relevant issue in the field of video games, as “artificial intelligence will be involved in almost all future productions anyway.”
Whether he is right or not, many game studios are considering or are already actively considering the use of AI in production. However, many developers have an opposite opinion and have ruled out the use of AI tools in their titles.
This is clearly a difficult issue in the industry, and with different retailers and developers taking different approaches, it’s unlikely to be resolved anytime soon.