"We hope what we have planned for now is a good first step."
Nexus Mods, the largest website for finding and downloading PC mods, has revealed new guidelines aimed at properly identifying mods created entirely using gen-AI or those created with AI assistance.
In a new blog post, Nexus clarified its stance on a number of topics, but said it won't ban AI-generated mods altogether. Going forward, mod authors are required to disclose whether or not their mods used AI, and clarify how it was used. A toggle has also been added, giving visitors of the site the ability to filter out any mods that use AI.
Aware of how controversial the decision not to have a blanket AI ban would be, site co-owner Foledinho explained that although "we are pro-human creativity", it would be "difficult to draw a clear boundary between what is acceptable and unacceptable".
"An outright ban will not eliminate AI from the modding process but will prevent people from mentioning its use," Foledinho explained. "We'd prefer the opposite; it should be out in the open, clearly labelled, and regulated according to the rules that we can implement on our platform."
That same courtesy extends to mods created entirely using AI, so long as that fact is disclosed. "This doesn't mean that any work done using AI will get removed; AI-generated mods are welcome on our platform provided that they meet certain criteria regarding permissions, transparency, presentation, and conduct," the post continues.
The new, mandatory disclosures cover existing mods, too, whose authors have 60 days to review whether their mods meet the new requirements. The new rules come alongside updates to the site's UI, which should make AI tags on mod pages more prominent. Not all backend changes will arrive at once, however.
"While we hope these changes will encourage everyone to disclose their AI usage, to be honest, that's not going to happen," Foledinho added. "Additionally, we are putting clear moderation standards in place, enforced with consequences for breaking the rules."
A different (albeit related) problem the deluge of AI-assisted mods introduced is the idea of remixing and modifying other authors' mods, often without their permission.
Nexus Mods doesn't have a solution for that problem at the moment, but the site is "working on introducing new permission options covering AI usage and training, as well as forks and derivative mods." By the same token, the post clarified the site won't itself use mods to train AI, or sell or license the mods to "anyone doing so".
This could prove to be a more complex problem to solve, given how often one mod relies on another mod to function, and that's saying nothing of contributions from other authors or users themselves.
Then there's the issue of AI-generated and AI-assisted thumbnails, which run the gamut from those entirely created by gen-AI to original shots upscaled or enhanced using AI tools. The post said no new rules governing those cases are being introduced, calling them "grey zones", but that "this discussion is not over yet."
"I'll be honest with you all, there are some details we still need to figure out and work through, especially when it comes to existing licences, forks, and how permissions apply to different versions of a mod," the post goes on. "But we want to get this right, and not rush through changes that could cause more problems further down the line. This does mean that these improvements will take longer to deliver, but we hope what we have planned for now is a good first step, and you'll bear with us whilst we continue to move in the right direction."
Just yesterday, indie game website itch.io was forced to expand its AI disclosure filter as 'AI slop' threatened to overwhelm the site. Previously, Valve came under pressure due to a perceived lack of curation around AI-developed titles during the most recent Steam Next Fest, prompting public outcry and a demand for more action from the company.
