Indie Game Storefront Itch Deletes a 'Couple of Terabytes of AI Slop,' Adds 'No AI' Filter to Search Results
Itch has clamped down on the deluge of low effort generative AI games flooding its store, confirming the removal of a couple of terabytes of "AI slop."
Indie game marketplace Itch has been struggling with an influx of low-quality AI-generated games flooding its store. In response, the platform has initiated the removal of a couple of terabytes worth of such AI slop from its listing. Itch explained in a social media statement that thousands of AI-generated games and other marketplace items, including asset packs, are being eliminated due to spam issues.
The company emphasized that while uploading large amounts of poorly optimized AI-generated models may be technically possible, it doesn't justify their excessive presence. Itch has also introduced an AI disclosure filter on its website, allowing users to employ a "No AI" filter on the search results page to remove AI-generated games from their browsing experience.
However, Itch's stance doesn't represent a blanket ban on generative AI content. The platform only enforces its terms and conditions against spam, allowing AI-generated content as long as it is clearly disclosed in the project description and adds significant value to the user experience. This stricter approach to AI content is in contrast to Valve, which only requires AI disclosures on store pages without limiting access for AI-focused developers, or Epic Games, which actively embraces AI technology, even criticizing Valve's AI disclosure policy as a "political act."
Written by urgent.news from IGN's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
