Rideshare Simulator’s AI Adventure Concludes with Steam Announcement

Saber Interactive has recently updated the Steam page for Rideshare Stimulator with a comprehensive disclosure about its use of AI in the game. This comes after a week of heated discussions sparked by a former employee’s claim that she was laid off and replaced by AI.

When Rideshare Stimulator was first revealed in July, there was no mention of generative AI being part of the development process. On August 11, game developer Stella Sacco took to social media to assert that “Saber replaced me with ChatGPT midway through development.”

In a sharp response, Saber Interactive’s CEO Matthew Karch criticized Sacco in an interview, stating he would have “in retrospect have been happy to replace her with AI.” He acknowledged that AI was indeed utilized during development but indicated that they were waiting for a “finalized feature set” before updating the Steam page.

Saber Interactive later provided a more balanced statement, clarifying to another outlet that while no writers were replaced by generative AI, the technology was integrated into the game. By August 14, the Steam page had been revised to include a detailed disclosure about AI-generated content.

The updated information specifies, “The main Campaign story, characters, and dialogue are written by a team of human writers. AI tools are used for voice generation and some localization. The optional Free Ride mode includes AI-generated passenger missions and localized dialogue. Free Ride mode is separate from the main Campaign and can be skipped by players who prefer to experience only human-written narrative content. The game also features a mix of radio stations with both human-made and AI-generated music, clearly labeling the stations that include AI-generated tracks.”

Additionally, Sacco announced that Saber had revoked her access to a development build of Rideshare Stimulator on Steam, seemingly as a reaction to the ongoing controversy, despite her being laid off years prior.

While the Rideshare Stimulator AI situation appears to be resolved, it highlights the importance of transparency regarding the use of generative AI in game development. This incident serves as a reminder for studios to be upfront about their practices and the potential implications of replacing human workers with AI.

In other news, the music video for Stellar Blade: Blood Rain’s Evie, created using generative AI, has drawn significant backlash from fans.