Writer accuses Saber of replacing her with the ChatGPT model on Rideshare Stimulator, company denies it
Former writer Stella Sacco claims that Saber replaced her—and the passenger voices—with the ChatGPT model during the development of Rideshare Stimulator. CEO Matthew Karch denies the replacement, saying AI is only used for an experimental free-drive mode.
Stella Sacco, the former lead writer of Rideshare Stimulator, claims that Saber replaced her with the ChatGPT model in December 2023, midway through development. According to her statement on Bluesky, the voices of all passengers in the game were also replaced with the ChatGPT model. She also said that Saber either changed its approach during development or is not disclosing its use of generative AI on Steam, where it distributes the game.
Matthew Karch, CEO of Saber, denied the claims, saying that “neither Saber nor Unigine has replaced any writers with AI”. According to his statement to The Verge, the game includes an experimental free-drive mode that, according to the company, inherently requires AI because the number of passengers in this mode is unlimited. Karch added that the company has been using AI tools to improve gameplay and NPC behavior since its founding in 2001, and that none of its more than 3000 employees needs to fear being replaced by AI despite the contraction of the gaming industry.
Sacco responded to the statement from the CEO by saying that the company cannot have it both ways: if the game contains both passages written by her and passages written or generated by AI, that means AI was used and she was replaced exactly as she was told in December 2023. The Steam listing for the game currently contains no disclosure of generative AI use.
Why it matters
The case highlights a contradiction between the claim by the employer of unrestricted human authorship and the reality in which, according to the former employee, generative AI replaced part of her work without disclosure on Steam. For the gaming industry, it is a concrete example of a dispute over transparency toward players about AI use, as well as how studios address the question of replacing creative professionals.
Relevant practical impact
What this means
For a business
The dispute highlights a risk for game studios: using generative AI without disclosure on Steam and contradictory public communication about replacing employees with AI can lead to reputational damage and public disputes with employees.
Risks and complianceCheck the original
Event sources
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