Valve narrows Steam AI disclosure to shipped assets; Black Ops 7 cited

Valve updated Steam's developer-facing generative-AI disclosure guidance to focus disclosure requirements on AI-produced assets that actually ship and are consumed by players. The change, issued January 19, clarified that common AI-assisted workflows used to speed up concept work and pipeline tasks do not automatically trigger a public AI notice. Valve's guidance says it is "aware that many modern game development environments have AI powered tools built into them. Efficiency gains through the use of these tools is not the focus of this section."

The new guidance draws a bright line: studios must disclose AI use when it produces artwork, audio, narrative assets, localization, or live-generated in‑game content that players see or hear. That narrower scope removes the need to list every internal automation or helper tool on a Steam store page, while keeping transparency around player-facing content.

Call of Duty landed squarely in the spotlight because Black Ops 7 currently carries a Steam disclosure line reading: "Our team uses generative AI tools to help develop some in game assets." Under Valve's clarified rules, that sort of public statement is relevant when those generative tools result in finished cosmetics, audio cues, text, localized dialogue, or procedural content that appears in players' inventories or gameplay sessions.

This matters to the CoD community because visible AI-generated assets can shift player expectations and spark the so-called "AI slop" debate - the backlash when cheap or obvious AI work slips into premium cosmetics, weapon skins, or seasonal rewards. At the same time, industry figures have argued that AI will become ubiquitous in production pipelines, with some saying blanket AI labels would be impractical as tools are baked into normal workflows. Valve's revision attempts to balance those perspectives by preserving notice for shipped content while not forcing developers to disclose every internal efficiency tool.

For players and clan leaders, the practical takeaway is simple: check Steam store pages and product descriptions for the disclosure lines when you care about the provenance of a skin, bundle, or seasonal drop. Expect dev blogs, patch notes, and in-game item descriptions to become the next place for clarity when AI was used in the making of a visible asset. For developers, the update reduces the paperwork for internal AI use but keeps scrutiny where it matters most - on assets that land in front of players.

What comes next is a watchful period. Players will test the line between convenience and craftsmanship when major releases roll out seasonal drops and premium cosmetics, and developers will have to choose how granularly they explain AI's role. For the Call of Duty crowd, keep an eye on store disclosures and update notes—those lines will tell you whether a new skin was hand-crafted or AI-assisted.