Valve has made a significant update to how developers must disclose the use of AI in games released on Steam, altering its guidelines without removing AI requirements altogether.
The change was highlighted by GameDiscoverCo founder Simon Carless in a LinkedIn post, who pointed out that Valve had adjusted the wording of Steam’s developer disclosure form that asks whether a game uses AI.
While the platform still requires transparency in certain areas, the update clarifies that not all AI-related tools trigger the need for disclosure.
Steam clarifies what counts as AI use
According to Carless, Valve has made it clear that so-called “AI-powered tools” used during development, such as coding assistants or efficiency-focused software, do not need to be disclosed.
Steam’s updated language states that efficiency gains from these tools are not the focus of the AI disclosure section, effectively removing the requirement for developers to flag common behind-the-scenes AI usage.
However, developers are still required to disclose AI use in two situations. The first is when AI is used to generate content for the game, its store page, or its marketing materials. In those cases, developers must provide a written explanation describing how AI was used.
The second applies to games that generate AI-created content during gameplay itself. If a game dynamically produces AI-generated images, audio, text, or other content while players are interacting with it, developers must still flag that through a dedicated disclosure option.
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