Valve says it won’t publish video games with AI content that infringes copyright

Earlier this week, it was reported that Valve, the developer of the video game Half-Life, and Steam, the game distribution platform, would ban the publication of games containing AI-generated assets.

However, the company has now released a statement clarifying its position on publishing games with AI-generated content, saying that while it is not against artificial intelligence, its current stance is simply an evolution of policy. and should not infringe copyright.

This development came after a game developer known as u/potterharry9 on Reddit claimed to have submitted an indie game containing several AI-generated assets for publication on Steam. He said his plan is to submit “rough his version” of the game, including “AI-generated assets”, and refine it later. However, Steam refused to publish the game, arguing that the game’s content contained “one or more third-party” content and that the ownership of the AI ​​content was unclear.

The developer improved the AI ​​content and resubmitted the game, but it was rejected again. In the second lawsuit, Steam said, “While we strive to ship most titles submitted, we cannot ship games where the developer does not have all the necessary rights.”

Valve added, “At this time, we are refusing to distribute the game because it is unclear whether the underlying AI technology used to create the assets has sufficient rights to the training data.” I was.

Valve also told IGN, “Our priority, as always, is to ship as many titles as we receive them,” said Aitchison Boyle. “We welcome and encourage innovation, and AI technology has its limits” to create new and exciting experiences in games. Developers may obtain the appropriate commercial licenses to use these AI technologies in their works, but may not infringe existing copyrights. ”

Valve will also reportedly refund creators app credits, which are typically considered “non-refundable.”

Simply put, Valve and other publishers are clearly at odds over whether or not to include AI-generated art and content in their games. The rise of generative AI has also caused much debate in other industries, such as music and writing, due to the lack of a clear definition of who owns AI-generated content.