Valve explains why it rejected game with AI-generated content

Given the ridiculous pace of AI advancement, we see reason in this sentiment. Virtually every industry has been upended since the technology went mainstream and easily accessible late last year. While some people have made peace with it and have found an ideal way to incorporate it into their work, there are still many unresolved issues surrounding it.

Right now, the primary hurdle seems to be claims of copyright infringement. In January, stock image company Getty Images sued Stable Diffusion for copyright violation. Less than a week ago, a group of authors filed a similar lawsuit against OpenAI.

With issues like this, Valve's stance makes some kind of sense. Naturally, the company will want to protect itself from potentially ruinous lawsuits. However, it would be doing a horrible job of that if it allows any and every developer to include AI-generated content in their creations, as those could then be contested.

Valve even made this clear in its statement. The company wrote, "We know it [AI] is a constantly evolving tech, and our goal is not to discourage the use of it on Steam; instead, we're working through how to integrate it into our already-existing review policies.

It continued, "Stated plainly, our review process is a reflection of current copyright law and policies, not an added layer of our opinion. As these laws and policies evolve over time, so will our process." Taking the approach of waiting and seeing is a clever tactic.

Even though Valve is trying to play things safe, its position might end up placing it on the wrong side of history. Many companies are embracing AI despite the risks and challenges that are attached, and the fact that the company isn't doing this has already angered some of its users.

If a rival company were to allow the use of AI-generated content in its games, there is a high possibility that many developers who ply their trade on Valve will jump ship.