Last week, Ars Technica reported on an anonymous report that Valve was blocking at least some games from Steam that use AI-generated artwork. Over the weekend, Valve confirmed that report, telling Ars in an emailed statement that the company is blocking games that use AI-generated content unless developers can prove that those AI models were trained on data that does not “infringe existing copyrights.”.
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“The introduction of AI can sometimes make it difficult to prove that a developer has sufficient rights to use AI to create content, including images, text, and music,” Valve spokesperson Kaci Boyle told Ars. “In particular, there is some legal uncertainty surrounding the data used to train AI models. It is the developer’s responsibility to ensure that they have the appropriate rights to submit their game.”.
Boyle stressed in the statement that “Valve’s goal is not to discourage the use of [AI-generated content] on Steam” and that the company’s “priority, as always, is to try to ship as many of the titles we receive as possible.” Creative AI “is certain to create new and exciting gaming experiences,” Valve continued.
At the same time, the company says its hands are tied by the current state of the law. “It is clearly stated, our review process is a reflection of current copyright laws and policies, not an added layer of our opinion. As these laws and policies evolve over time, so will our process,” Valve said.
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Anything but tidy
Despite Valve’s flippant assurance that it does not use “opinions” to interpret “applicable copyright laws and policies,” the copyright status of most AI models is far from certain. This is largely due to the fact that current copyright laws were written long before this kind of large-scale AI modeling was technically feasible.
The companies that run these AI models argue that machine learning based on copyrighted works is covered by fair use, just as human artists are influenced by the art they study, reference, and adapt. However, a series of high-profile lawsuits from artists and stock art companies strongly challenge this argument, saying that these AI models copied their content wholesale without permission.
Until these lawsuits create some modern relevant legislation, the position of “existing copyright” surrounding this content is far from clear. “I’m more uncertain than ever about whether training constitutes fair use in cases where AIs produce results that could compete with the works they were trained on,” Cornell lawyer James Grimmelmann told Ars in April.
Due to the uncertain legal environment, some organizations have banned AI-generated art, while others have embraced it. Valve has taken a conservative approach, rejecting AI content trained on copyrighted material, citing legal uncertainty. This decision is based on their own interpretation of copyright law.
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source of information:arstechnica.com
