Games on Steam are about to get smarter.
Valve announced this week that games with AI-generated content will soon be allowed on Steam. In a post on the Steam Community Blog, Valve stated that new changes for “how we handle games that use AI technology… will enable us to release the vast majority of games that use it.”
The company says there will be new policies and a new questions for developers to answer upon submission of a title. Valve is adding a new “AI disclosure section” to the required developer survey, and developers will have to disclose how AI is being used in the game.
To this effect, games will be shuffled into two categories: “Pre-Generated” (where AI tools are used to create content to be included in the game’s files as assets, just like pre-recorded sound clips, pre-rendered graphics, and similar) and “Live-Generated” (where AI tools are used to create new content in-game, creating assets on the fly while players are actively engaged with the software).
These use cases will be disclosed on the game’s Steam page so players are aware of AI tools in play.
One risk of allowing AI-generation in games involves the legal hurdles associated with AI-generated content. To that end, Valve will enable gamers to “report illegal content inside games” for games with Live-Generated AI content. This way, Valve can (theoretically) stay out of any legal issues associated with copyright infringement and inappropriate content.
To that end, Valve is completely nixing any games including “Adult Only Sexual Content” created via Live-Generation.
Valve says it will “continue to learn from games being submitted to Steam,” leaving the door open for future changes in these policies.
I’ve been a computer geek my entire life. After graduating college with a degree in Mathematics, I worked in finance and banking a few years before taking a job as a database administrator. I started working with Notebookcheck in October of 2016 and have enjoyed writing news and reviews. I’ve also written for other outlets including UltrabookReview and GeeksWorldWide, focusing on consumer guidance and video gaming. My areas of interest include the business side of technology, retro gaming, Linux, and innovative gadgets. When I’m not writing on electronics or tinkering with a device, I’m either outside with my family, enjoying a decade-old video game, or playing drums or piano.
