“Made with AI” labeling is meaningless in toy stores

Debates about the role of artificial intelligence in the gaming industry have heated up over the past two years between companies pushing for its wide integration such as Ubisoft and developers expressing real concerns about human creativity such as the director of The Witcher 3 and the future of the industry remains at a crossroads and in the midst of this intellectual battle, Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, came out with a new statement that sparked a large wave of reactions.

Sweeney’s statement came in response to a comment on the X platform calling for the removal of the “Made with AI” label from games published on platforms such as Steam. Sweeney emphasized that he agrees with this argument, noting that these labels may make sense in the arts world or digital content markets that require transparency of rights, but they are not suitable for the video game industry.

He added that AI will become an essential component of “most future productions,” so trying to label games that use it is a step without practical value, and to highlight his cynicism, he commented, “Why stop at AI?

“Why stop at AI? We could require developers to disclose what kind of shampoo they use. Consumers deserve to know, don’t they?

Sweeney’s comments come at a time when major companies are being heavily criticized for using AI in their production processes. Activision was criticized after it was discovered that generative AI was used to design cards inside Black Ops 7 and the issue escalated to the point that it prompted a US congressman to state that we need laws to prevent companies from using AI to replace jobs in order to increase profits.

Sweeney’s opinion highlights an important aspect: If AI were to become part of the core tools in game development, from animation to design to performance optimization, would its disclosure make sense, or would it become just another label that offers nothing to the consumer?

The debate will remain open between those who see AI as a threat to jobs and creativity and those who see it as a natural part of the industry’s evolution.