Indie game website itch.io expands its AI disclosure filter as 'AI slop' continues to overwhelm Steam and other storefronts

Indie game website itch.io has enhanced its AI disclosure filter, providing users with a way to distinguish games created using the contentious technology from those that haven't. This update, announced on its BlueSky account, now includes a "No AI" toggle on the search page. Toggling this option will hide all games on the site that have disclosed the use of generative AI.

Similar to Steam, games made using generative AI must disclose this fact to be listed on the platform, though there's no way to specify how much AI was employed. This move follows the revelation that the number of game pages on itch.io has doubled over the past two months. However, the corresponding increase in game downloads and purchases has not kept pace.

The platform is also grappling with storage issues, having recently deleted a couple of terabytes of AI-related content to comply with its terms of service. The surge in AI-generated games is evident, with the Steam Next Fest demo submission record last month being a testament to this. Fear of their creations being replicated has led some developers to pull their demos, prompted by Steam's stipulation that it's the developer's duty to make their games less prone to copying.

This problem appears set to persist, as even Anthropic's AI tools, which have imposed rules against unoriginal game clones, do not entirely curb the issue. The proliferation of hastily-produced, low-effort AI-generated games remains a challenge that requires innovative solutions like the expanded AI disclosure filter on itch.io.