On 10 January 2024, Valve Corporation announced changes to how it will handle video games using AI technology which, in Valve’s view, will enable it to release the vast majority of games that use that technology on its Steam platform. Valve will update the Content Survey that developers fill out when submitting a game to Steam to include a new AI disclosure section, where developers will need to describe how AI is used in the development and execution of the game. Valve separates AI usage in games into two broad categories:

• Pre-Generated: Any kind of content (art/code/sound/etc) created with the help of AI tools during development.
• Live-Generated: Any kind of content created with the help of AI tools while the game is running. The Content Survey must include a description of the guardrails placed on the AI to ensure it is not generating illegal content.

Both types of AI will be subject to the terms of Valve’s current distribution agreement under which developers promise that their games will not include infringing or illegal content and will be consistent with related marketing materials.

Valve will use this disclosure in its pre-release review of the game and will include much of it on the Steam store page for the game, so customers can also understand how the game uses AI.

Valve will also be releasing a new system on Steam that allows players to report illegal content inside games that contain Live-Generated AI content.

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