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The entire internet is groaning under the weight of low-effort GenAI slop right now, but Epic's Tim Sweeney thinks forcing developers to acknowledge their use of the controversial tech is "abhorrent".
Sweeney and Epic Games have long supported Generative AI and its use in game development; Fortnite, the jewel in Epic's crown, already uses it for a wide range of assets. Sweeney thinks developers shouldn't have to inform potential customers when they use AI, but Valve – owner of Steam, the world's biggest digital game storefront – currently demands it.
"Forcing developers to write a political statement to be used against them by the hate mob they’re helping organize is abhorrent," said Sweeney on social media recently, in response to a post highlighting Valve's AI disclosure.
When challenged on his stance, Sweeney replied:
"Age ratings tell parents what’s in a game so they can make informed decisions for their kids. These AI statements are just as partisan as mandatory political essays or forcing developers to list their voting history to drive cancel campaigns and public struggle sessions.
There is a real economic cost to Valve’s foray into forced political disclosures. Besides taking 30%, they’re also taking a potentially even larger fraction of developers’ revenue and livelihood by undermining their business with these AI hate campaigns."
There's no question that AI use in game development is widespread these days; many companies are using the tech to create prototypes, brainstorm ideas, create assets and even 'vibe code' – but a great many people feel that, when AI is used in a game, it should be fully disclosed to the customer, as the tech is a hugely divisive topic right now, with good reason.
AI models have, by and large, been trained on human-made content without permission, and the widespread layoffs taking place in all industries right now (Epic laid off 1000 staff earlier this year, before publicly stating that it was going all-in on GenAI) are being attributed directly to the rise of AI replacements for real people.
There's also the environmental cost of using AI, and the rise of data centres, which cause pollution through both waste and noise.
However, according to Sweeney, objecting to the use of AI in something you pay good money for is now a "political" matter and nothing else – and I'm personally glad that Valve doesn't agree with him.