Valve Updates Steam Guidelines: Mandatory Disclosure for Generative AI in Games

Valve has done a major rewrite of the guidelines on Steam to that developers must disclose the use of generative AI in their video games. GameDiscoverCo’s Simon Carless (via VGC) spotted the new guidelines in which Valve has made it clearer that certain ‘AI-powered tools’ like code helpers don’t require a disclosure, as those are efficiency gains. Instead, two specific types are to be disclosed. One is “AI to generate content for the game” which spans use of it within the game, on the store page, or in marketing materials. The other is “AI content generated during gameplay” and whether the game generates AI-created “images, audio, text, and other content”. This follows on from 2024 when Valve first required developers to disclose on Steam whether generative AI was used in the creation of their games. However, such disclosures are voluntary, so the actual number of games created using GenAI is thought to be higher. Surveys last year indicated that while generative AI tools are being used by a lot of companies, the number that had no interest in using them has actively increased.