BackerKit, a widely-used crowdfunding platform for board games and tabletop role-playing games (RPGs), has made a significant announcement that diverges from its competitor, Kickstarter. The company has declared a prohibition on AI-generated content on its platform, highlighting concerns related to fair compensation, content sourcing, and permission.
BackerKit's decision follows a recent incident involving AI-generated art in a Terraforming Mars board game expansion. The use of AI technology in this context raised concerns and prompted discussions among creators and backers.
AI tools, also known as generative AI, rely heavily on the work of real artists without their explicit consent. The controversy arises from ethical concerns, including issues related to copyright, compensation, and fair use of artistic work.
BackerKit's ban on AI-generated content is set to take effect on October 4, 2023, impacting projects on its platform.
The policy states that all content and assets featured on BackerKit's platform must be initially created by humans, emphasizing the necessity of human involvement in content development.
BackerKit's stance is informed by its commitment to ensuring that creators are justly rewarded for their creative work. Concerns about AI tools using content without appropriate compensation or consent are a driving force behind this decision.
In contrast to BackerKit's ban, Kickstarter introduced a mandatory AI disclosure to its campaign pages in August. However, the use of AI on Kickstarter does not inherently prevent a campaign from going live.
BackerKit has taken a stricter stance, pledging to prevent AI-powered projects from launching on its platform. It will actively remove such projects discovered on its platform, ensuring compliance with its new policy.
Projects on BackerKit that rely solely on AI-generated content or lack a minimum level of human input may face temporary or permanent denial during the review process. Violations of this policy post-launch could result in content removal, project suspension, or project removal.
As part of this policy, BackerKit will automatically prevent content uploaded by creators on its platform from being used to train AI.
BackerKit's decision to ban AI-generated content sets a distinct course from its rival Kickstarter and aims to address concerns about fair compensation and ethical content creation. The policy marks a significant development in the evolving relationship between crowdfunding, AI, and creative content.
