What to know
- Valve artist Ayi Sánchez addressed calls on X to remove Steam's "Made with AI" disclosure, defending its role in informing players.
- Steam mandates AI use reports for games with generative content, covering assets like art or code.
- Epic CEO Tim Sweeney opposes the label, arguing AI will dominate future production, rendering it obsolete.
- Debates pit developer efficiency against player concerns over quality and ethics.
Steam implemented mandatory AI content disclosures in early 2024 to inform players about generative AI in games, covering pre-generated elements or runtime generation. However, over the last few months, several people have come out declaiming Steam's "Made with AI" labels, calling them useless.
One among those deeming Steam's labels "useless" is Time Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, claiming AI involvement in "nearly all future production" makes them impractical for game stores. He accuses Valve of enabling review bombs against small devs via such tags.
In defense, Ayi Sanchez, a Valve artist, replied on X to users urging Steam to scrap the "Made with AI" tag.
This is like saying food products shouldn't have their ingredients list. Consumers should have the information to decide if they want to buy something or not depending on its content.
— ᴀʏɪ sᴀɴᴄʜᴇᴢ (@ayi_sanchez) November 25, 2025
The only ppl afraid of this are the ones that know their product is low effort.
Sanchez highlighted the value of the label beyond incidental use of AI. He argues the labels targets substantial generative applications, not everyday aids, amid rising AI integration. This counters narratives of the policy as outdated, which may have less to do with labels being 'outdated' and more to do with possible pushback against games that are explicitly made using AI.
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by u/Stannis_Loyalist from discussion
in Steam
But the discussion is far from over. While players demand warnings for AI art to dodge low-quality outputs, comparing undisclosed use to deceptive practices, indies fear broad labeling even from minor AI use, such as ChatGPT code snippets.
But as more and more gamers expect transparency in the age of AI slop, and continue backing Valve's decision, game developers may have to eventually toe the line, even if they do so after firing a few "useless" shots. In all likelihood, we can expect refinements to Steam's policy as AI norms solidify, balancing innovation with accountability. Ayi Sánchez's stance comes at a pivotal moment that underscores Valve's commitment to player agency. This is the way!
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