Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has publicly criticized Steam's policy requiring developers to disclose the use of generative AI in their games. Sweeney argues that this disclosure requirement is fundamentally political and harmful to developers, comparing it to forcing them to write "mandatory political essays" or reveal their voting history.
In a series of posts, Sweeney stated, "Forcing developers to write a political statement to be used against them by the hate mob they’re helping organize is abhorrent." He drew a parallel between Steam's AI disclosures and age ratings, suggesting both are intended to help parents make informed decisions for their children. However, he contended that 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."
Sweeney further elaborated on the economic implications, stating, "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." He dismissed comparisons to Epic's own asset marketplace, Fab, which asks creators to disclose AI usage, by characterizing Fab as a business-to-business platform where such disclosures are necessary to prevent the sale of AI-generated assets for use in other games.
The criticism comes as Epic Games embraces generative AI technologies. Sweeney implied that the mandatory disclosure of AI in game development could be perceived as a punitive measure that unfairly targets developers and potentially leads to public backlash, likening it to forcing food producers to reveal details about their manufacturing processes. He suggested that if consumers react negatively to AI-generated content, developers should reconsider their use of such technologies rather than seeking to hide them.
Sweeney's comments suggest a fundamental disagreement on the nature and impact of transparency in game development and distribution, particularly concerning the integration of emerging AI technologies. His stance emphasizes developer autonomy and warns against what he views as overreach by platform holders in dictating content disclosure policies.