Itch.io Now Requires Creators To Disclose AI-Generated Content

Creators and consumers are tangling with the use of generative AI in everything from games to TV-show opening sequences, and the sentiment on AI seems to be shifting. To help consumers make decisions about which games to buy, game storefront Itch.io now requires all creators to disclose the use of generative AI in games, Itch.io founder Leaf Corcoran announced in a forum post to the site.

The text of the post itself is fairly straightforward, directed primarily at the creators who will have to disclose this information.

“We’ve deployed a new field to project edit pages called ‘Generative AI disclosure.’ This field asks if your project contains the results of generative AI. If you select yes, then we also ask what kinds of generative AI you utilize, including Graphics, Sound, Text & Dialog, and Code,” Corcoran wrote. Selecting Yes will give your project an “AI Generated” tag, while selecting No will give it a “No AI” tag.

Importantly, though, Corcoran notes that “Assets comprised of generative AI (even if modified afterwards) that are not tagged will no longer be eligible for indexing on [Itch.io’s] browse pages.” The project won’t be removed, but will not show up when browsing, and must be discovered through search or a direct link.

Corcoran is careful not to make a moral judgment of the use of AI, and Itch.io’s Content Creator Quality Guidelines state that “we are strictly enforcing disclosure for all game asset pages due to legal ambiguity around rights associated with Generative AI content.”

As Itch takes this measure, many game developers and publishers are moving to clarify their stances on the technology, including Remedy, Microsoft, Netflix, and others.