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Indie game platform Itch.io now requires developers to tag AI content

"To ensure buyers are aware of the origins of the material they are obtaining."

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Image credit: Itch.io

Indie game platform Itch.io now requires developers to disclose whether generative AI has been used in their work.

Posting on Bluesky, the platform detailed its new tagging requirement, specifying it is a required field for asset creator pages "to ensure buyers are aware of the origins of the material they are obtaining".

Itchi.io is focused on asset creators "since their disclosure can impact a larger number of creators that may use their assets". Furthermore, any assets comprising generative AI that are not tagged will not be indexed on the platform's browsing pages.

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Without tags it can be difficult to ascertain whether AI has been used, which is why the platform is allowing creators to update their own tags. "We'll have a grace period for people to update their pages, then we'll likely use user reports to handle pages that have not been addressed," the website reads.

We are now requiring asset page creators to tag their use of generative AI in their work. You can learn more here: itch.io/t/4309690/ge... On your dashboard you can find a bulk tagging dialog if you have pages that need tagging.

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— itch.io (@itch.io) 20 November 2024 at 15:55

Earlier this year, Valve updated its Steam policy requiring developers to disclose if generative AI has been used.

Further, a system was implemented to allow users to report "illegal content inside games that contain Live-Generated AI content".

It's all part of an attempt to regulate AI content in games.

While AI has been openly adopted by some developers, others are more reticent.

AI is "the very core of our business", said EA CEO Andrew Wilson for instance, while Zenless Zone Zero producer Zhenyu Li revealed AI generated content is used to "better smoothen the game progress". Embracer will have a "human-centric approach" to using the technology, while Nvidia boss Jensen Huang said "we can't do graphics anymore without AI".

Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto, meanwhile, said the company would "rather go in a different direction" than follow AI trends, while Paradox deputy CEO Mattias Lilja said AI is "not a big part of the games... it's going to be a lot of human hands on whatever ends up in the games".

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