90% of Game Devs Want Strict AI Disclosure on Steam
9 in 10 Developers Believe Steam Must Clearly Disclose AI Usage
The debate over artificial intelligence transparency is heating up in the gaming industry. According to a recent survey conducted by GamesIndustry.biz, a massive 88.4% of game industry professionals agree that Valve should force developers to clearly disclose if Generative AI was used in any games sold on Steam.
Currently, Steam’s policy only requires developers to disclose AI if it generates content that players directly interact with. However, developers feel this approach is far too narrow and are demanding stricter, more comprehensive measures.
The Push for a Transparency Checklist
Out of the 826 professionals surveyed, nearly half disagreed with Valve’s current “player-facing content only” approach.
- A staggering 76.8% stated they would be perfectly willing to inform players even if AI was only used during the concept phase or as a background efficiency tool.
- Furthermore, 51.9% suggested that Steam should implement a detailed Checklist. Instead of a simple “Yes/No” regarding AI usage, this checklist would show players exactly where and how the AI was utilized during development.
How Are Studios Actually Using AI Right Now?
Despite the massive hype surrounding the technology, 66.1% of developers reported that their studios have not used Generative AI tools at all.
For the studios that do use it, the implementation is mostly behind the scenes:
- Brainstorming: 9.3%
- Writing Code: 9.1%
Interestingly, the areas that players worry about the most—AI voice acting, scriptwriting, and music generation—see incredibly low actual usage rates of under 3%. This aligns perfectly with the sentiments of over 85% of the surveyed professionals, who firmly believe AI has no place in replacing these core artistic roles.
The Exception to the Rule: There is one specific area where 82.9% of developers agree AI is acceptable: placeholder voice acting. Using AI-generated voices during the early stages of development to test game systems before hiring real voice actors is widely seen as a practical way to reduce workflow friction. However, for the final product, the majority insists that the human touch remains irreplaceable.
Will Players Eventually Stop Caring?
Amidst the calls for transparency, one developer offered a highly interesting—and somewhat cynical—perspective. They noted that the only reason AI disclosure is necessary right now is because players are actively scrutinizing it.
The developer predicted that in the near future, as AI becomes an inseparable part of daily life, players will simply get used to it and stop caring entirely. Once that apathy sets in, the need for transparency labels will naturally disappear.
The Bottom Line
For now, the majority of developers want a clear line drawn on the Steam storefront. They believe consumers have the right to know exactly how the products they are spending money on were created. Even if technology makes development easier, honesty and transparency remain top priorities for most in the industry to maintain long-term trust with their player base.
Origin: PCGamer
