The Alters Developer 11 Bit Studios Confirms It Used AI for Text, Translations in the Game

11 Bit Studios is facing accusations of including artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content in its survival game The Alters, which was released last month. Last week, a player claimed to have spotted AI-generated text in the game and shared a screenshot that seemed to show a generative AI tool's response to a prompt. 11 Bit Studios has now responded to the allegations and confirmed that AI-generated assets were used in the game as placeholders but were never meant to make it into the final build. The developer said it would release an update to remove the AI-generated content from the game.

11 Bit Studios Confirms AI Use in The Alters

In its response on Bluesky Monday, the developer said that generative AI was also utilised for a small portion of in-game translations. These will be updated in an upcoming hotfix with new translations done by trusted agencies, the studio said.

“We've seen a wide range of accusations regarding the use of AI-generated content in The Alters, and we feel it's important to clarify our approach and give you more context,” 11 Bit Studios said.

“AI-generated assets were used strictly as temporary WIPs during the development process and in a very limited manner. Our team has always prioritized meaningful, handcrafted storytelling as one of the foundations of our game.

“During production, an AI-generated text for a graphic asset, which was meant as a piece of background texture, was used by one of our graphical designers as a placeholder. This was never intended to be part of the final release. Unfortunately, due to an internal oversight, this single placeholder text was mistakenly left in the game. We have since conducted a thorough review and confirmed that this was an isolated case, and the asset in question is being updated. For transparency, we've included a screenshot to show how and where it appears in the game. While we do not want to downplay the situation, we also want to clearly show its limited impact on your gaming experience.”

The graphic asset in question was the one screenshotted and shared by reddit user EarthlingKira last week. The image showed a block of text on a screen in the game, that began with “Sure, here's a revised version focusing purely on scientific and astronomical data:” — which resembles the beginning of an AI response to a prompt.

In its statement, 11 Bit Studios also admitted to AI use for a small portion of the translations in the game, specifically related to licensed movies that in-game characters can watch at their base. The developer said the movies were produced externally and were added to the game at the final stage of development. The studio said it localised the videos using AI due to time constraints.

“It was always our intention to involve our trusted translation agencies after release as part of our localization hotfix, to ensure those texts would be handled with the same care and quality as the rest of the game. That process is now underway, and updated translations are being implemented,” the developer said.

11 Bit Studios claimed the AI-generated translations only accounted for 0.3 percent of all text in the game but said it should have been transparent about AI use in The Alters.

“As AI tools evolve, they present new challenges and opportunities in game development. We're actively adapting our internal processes to meet this reality. But above all, we remain committed to transparency in how we make our games. We appreciate your understanding and continued support as we work towards that goal,” the studio added.

AI Use in Games

The rise of generative AI has seen the technology leave its mark in the gaming industry, as well, despite video game performers striking against AI use in games. The industrial action ended last month after SAG-AFTRA reached a tentative agreement with studios.

Popular games storefront Steam requires developers to disclose AI use in their games, including explaining how they have used AI in the development and execution of their title.

Last year, Activision came under fire for reportedly selling AI-generated cosmetics for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

More recently, Microsoft began public testing of its Copilot for Gaming AI Chatbot on the beta version of the Xbox mobile app. Earlier this year, the Xbox parent debuted its Muse AI model that can generate 3D gameplay environments.

The launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot in late 2022 opened the doors for widespread AI adoption across several industries, including film, television, video games and graphic design. The aggressive AI push, however, as met resistance from artists, creatives and publishers who have accused firms like OpenAI, Meta, Google, Anthropic and others of unlicensed use of their work — films, books, art, music, news reporting — to train their AI models.