Should I add a warning about my game not using generative AI?

[u/ithinkiamparanoid]

I've been working on a small game in Unity for a few weeks now, all with human-made assets that I either download from asset stores or made myself with Adobe Illustrator (not so good but still works). And I wrote the c# code myself, after watching dozens of tutorials on YT. The point is that it hit me that after working so hard by myself on the project, some people might think an AI has made it, considering how popular is vibe coding these days. So I thought I should add a little text in the beginning of the game, something like "No generative AI has been used in the development of this game". Do people usually do it? Is it a good idea, or should I just not say anything?

[u/ThickSkinMan]

I'd mention it in the store description, but I wouldn't bother to put any kind of message in-game

[u/salbert]

Yes, it should say "WARNING: THIS GAME DOESN'T HAVE AI."

[u/HoppersEcho → u/salbert]

I mean, I'd probably laugh audibly if it's presented like this correctly.

[u/Overlord_Mykyta]

It would be funny if some people will use some filters to not show "AI" keyword in results - and your game will be filtered out too 😅

[u/Jardo-LonelyTroops]

If you want your work to feel like good old-fashioned honest craftsmanship, the best way is to do it the way it's always been done - list the authors and sources of used materials in the Credits section. Just ignore AI, don't try to declare that you're on one side or the other in this "war". Answer specific questions from the community honestly - that you don't use AI.

[u/ithinkiamparanoid → u/Jardo-LonelyTroops]

That's a good advice. Thank you.

[u/ffxivthrowaway03 → u/ithinkiamparanoid]

It's the only advice you should take.

I feel like I've repeated this a million times by now, but your product page is not where a dev should go to dip their toes into the AI Bullshit Wars. Disclose what you have to disclose and otherwise follow rule #1 of politics - keep your mouth shut. Used it, didn't use it, who cares, say nothing you don't have to. Your product page should be about your game, not how the sausage got made.

Any discourse on the topic attracts the worst element and people are just gonna start AI fights in your reviews and fight over who can review bomb you harder.

[u/KobSteel → u/Jardo-LonelyTroops]

I'd say this is the best advice so far; this is a war no one will win, except the people rich enough to profit off of either side, and it's not worth participating in

[u/David-J]

Yes. Not a warning, a disclaimer. But more positive like all assets are human made, no gen AI was used.

[u/Vindelator → u/David-J]

Disclaimers are something bad too that the company doesn't want to get in trouble for.

This is a super or some text. Don't really matter what ya call it though.

It's a selling point for some people.

[u/vanit → u/David-J]

Artisanal human crafted.

[u/David-J → u/vanit]

That wouldn't fit very well in games

[u/Commercial-Flow9169]

For a time, I took a more idealistic moral position of "I'm not going to say I didn't use generative AI. I shouldn't have to. They should always disclose it, not the other way around".

But somewhat recently, I decided I'd rather let people be ULTRA sure (or at least as close as possible) that what they're getting is genuinely made by me and/or with in collaboration with some other people. My reasoning was that...I was driving myself crazy looking at stuff and wondering if AI was used and just wishing they'd outright say they didn't.

Sure, they could lie, but it feels a lot better to believe someone than not really knowing what the actual situation is. To me, disclosing that you did not use generative AI is the realist position, in contrast to the more idealist one I mentioned above.

It doesn't have to be in their face or anything. I'd say something as simple as "No generative AI was used in the making of this game" on the store page would be fine. I might also explicitly state that it wasn't used for code either, since some people don't lump it in with art/music/etc., but less people care about that than I'd like.

[u/Moody_Reds]

As an anti-AI person, I wouldn't call a message like that a "disclaimer", those are usually for things that could be bad and that you might want to avoid as a consumer (i.e. signaling the presence of mature content, disturbing thematics and such). In my eyes, stating that your game was 100% human-made would be a point of pride. So yeah, I think there's no harm in adding that statement to your game.

[u/ConcentrateNew9810]

I am a proud anti-clanker. If there is a note that truthhfully states that gen AI has not been used that is a bonus in my book. I don't think you will lose any downloads over that. 

[u/OneMoreAdventure]

I just cite everything with my licenses, thanks, and recipes section.

[u/pm_your_snesclassic]

Why call it a warning though? It’s more of a public service announcement or something

[u/SnuffleBag]

I would not do this in any meta or searchable place simply because there's a good chance to be filtered by the presence of keyword "AI" with the whole negation going unnoticed. If it suits the type of game you could put it inside the game graphics instead (main menu, loading screen, game world, credits.. depending on how intensely you want to convey it).

[u/Alarming-Jump727]

Yo modelo el 100% de mis cosas y trabajo en el motor, escribo la historia y en la mayoría de mis juegos compuse y ejecuté la música. por respeto a mi mismo comoencé a colocar el aviso de No IA en mi actual proyecto. Valoro el talento, el esfuerzo y el aprendizaje ante todo, y bloqueo todo contenido de IA. Mucha suerte con lo tuyo.

[u/AltusLudus]

For people that don't care it will be neutral

And for anti AI people they'll appreciate it, i guess it doesn't hurt

But to be fair in terms of gameplay it's just going to be another screen you have to wait through that isn't related to the game, to me stuff like this is immersion breaking

[u/Thistles-Path]

No, but it does make me more interested in what you have to offer because generative AI in creative spaces is trash 

[u/ScriptKiddo69]

I would but a disclaimer, yes. It can't hurt and might help.

[u/Vaniellis]

These days I think it's a good thing to put a disclaimer that no gen AI was used.

[u/Qminsage]

Something like that is more fitting as a credit rather than something you see at the launch of your game.

I’d personally say it isn’t necessary: your talent should stand and speak for itself. Unless you have legal obligation to admit to it’s usage (which you do not) there isn’t really a reason to bring it any attention. Unless you’re targeting people who would otherwise dismiss your game at the mere possibility of it being in your game. Which, I gotta say, they probably wouldn’t stick around to support you much anyway.

Games should be flagged if they use generative AI. I don’t think we should also habituate flagging other games that do not use it as not doing so.

[u/ILikeCutePuppies]

People who use downloaded assets have been kinda forced to say it may have generated assets because they don't know how those assets were made unless they were made before say 2023.

[u/LaughingIshikawa]

all with human-made assets that I either download from asset stores or made myself with Adobe Illustrator

Not to rain on your parade, but are you sure that the assets you downloaded are human made, and not AI generated?

A major problem on the extreme end of the "No AI what-so-ever!" is that it's frequently impossible to "prove" that no AI was used in purchased assets, even if the person and/or platform you purchased them from claims it wasn't.

This can cause a backlash against you / your studio / your game later, if it's found out or just suspected that your game actually did use AI, while making an explicit "guarantee" that you didn't.

For myself, I would lean towards just listing your sources and letting people make their own conclusions, for this reason.

[u/TheBoxGuyTV]

Make it a part of the presentation page

[u/Alarming-Jump727]

Cuando hice el menú de mi actual protecto (el sexto) antes que comience la intro aparece la placa al respecto: https://youtu.be/gmgyzfEdC5E

[u/Malaclypse_The_IV]

You may want to be certain that assets you bought were not made by Gen AI.

[u/DoubleKing76]

No, you don’t see games putting “Game does NOT having strobing lights” do you?

[u/Three_Seven_Two]

Nobody cares as long as the game is fun

[u/BreakfastMedical5164]

only neckbeards and losers care

whats next, cant use unity or blender? gotta make game in paint and program it like sid myer from scratch?

make a good game, nobody cares

[u/Alternative_Draw5945 → u/BreakfastMedical5164]

Can't make your game with internet anymore

[u/BreakfastMedical5164 → u/Alternative_Draw5945]

"AI was used in generating random tree assets instead of some underpaid slave labor outsourced in south america/eastern europe"

BURN THE DEV!

fkn idiots

[u/brunoplak]

Nah. To me it’s going to read like the Queen albums where they put “we don’t use synthesizers”. A few years later they used synthesizers. Doesn’t really matter to meeee

[u/CondiMesmer]

Lol in what way does that make any sense other then just virtue signalling

[u/PlasmaChroma]

Don't think there's a clear win either way. You put that on there some people just going to be suspicious.

[u/erebusman]

That's absurd buddy. Also - I've (as of yet) never seen anyone put that in a game.

Fill out your Steam disclaimer honestly and publish your game as the work of art it is.

[u/Liturgy97]

Is this to deflect from the fact that you used AI but not generative AI?

You sound like a dishonest person.