Saber CEO Makes Rideshare's Undisclosed AI Mess Even Worse

Key Points:

• Former lead writer Stella Sacco accused Saber Interactive of replacing her with ChatGPT AI midway through the development of the rideshare driving-sim satire "Stimulator," claiming the publisher hid the use of generative AI in the game.
• Saber Interactive denied firing Sacco or replacing writers with AI but confirmed generative AI is used in the game's experimental "free ride" mode to handle an infinite number of passengers.
• CEO Matthew Karch admitted AI involvement in parts of the game and criticized Sacco personally, stating she was replaced by "someone more talented" and expressing retrospective openness to using AI instead of her.
• Sacco responded by asserting her original claims were true and condemned Karch's statement as damaging to Saber’s reputation, while the controversy has sparked heated debates on the game's Steam page over undisclosed AI use.
• The incident highlights ongoing tensions in the gaming industry around transparency and ethics in employing generative AI tools during game development.