Steam Reportedly Won’t Approve Games With AI-Generated Assets Anymore

News reports recently circulated regarding a Reddit post made in June by a user named potterharry97, claiming that Steam (a popular gaming platform) would stop publishing games featuring AI-generated content. Another game developer made a similar statement later that month. However, Valve (the company behind Steam) has clarified that these reports are not entirely accurate.

In a statement emailed to The Verge, Valve PR representative Kaci Boyle said the company’s goal is “not to discourage the use of [AI] on Steam; instead, we’re working through how to integrate it into our already-existing review policies.” She went on to say that the company’s current review process takes into account current copyright law, and that “while developers can use these AI technologies in their work… they can not infringe on existing copyrights.”

Valve’s spokesperson, Boyle, stated that Steam will reimburse developers for any app submission credits if their games were rejected due to copyright concerns related to AI. The company is working on improving its review process. This refund offer also applies to potterharry97.

Valve’s developer submission rules disallow “content you don’t own or have adequate rights to.” Potterharry97 included the rejection message in their post, which said their game “contains art assets generated by artificial intelligence that appears to be relying on copyrighted material owned by third parties.”

The emergence of AI technology has complicated discussions around copyright and has led to legal disputes involving issues such as the unauthorized use of open-source code and infringement of copyrighted artwork. Given these complexities, it’s not surprising that Valve is taking a proactive approach by implementing a strict policy regarding AI-generated assets.