Epic Games will allow the use of materials from Unreal Engine and MetaHuman for AI training
Epic Games intends to modify the Unreal Engine licensing agreement to lift restrictions on AI training using materials created with the engine and MetaHuman technology. This was announced by the company's CEO, Tim Sweeney. Game developers, however, will be able to independently decide whether to permit such use of their content.
Epic's plans were revealed on October 27, when Sweeney responded to a Kotaku publication discussing the controversies in gaming companies' policies regarding generative AI and copyright.
Let us recall that the current Unreal Engine agreement prohibits the use of Epic's licensed technologies for training generative models. Specific restrictions concern digital MetaHuman characters, their animation data, and certain rendering outcomes.
“Currently, Epic restricts AI training on outputs from Unreal Engine and MetaHuman, but we are working on removing this restriction from the licensing agreement,” stated Sweeney.
He emphasized that games created using these technologies are distributed under the terms set by the developers themselves. Rights holders can choose to either allow or prohibit the use of their projects for AI training.
Sweeney also reminded that authors of assets on the marketplace Fab can restrict their use for AI training with a NoAI tag.
The statement was prompted by a Kotaku article dated October 26. The publication noted that Epic Games and Microsoft actively support the integration of AI in development, yet simultaneously pursue the removal of unofficial copies of their games created using neural networks.
In response, Sweeney stated that Epic does not permit the use of Fortnite's intellectual property without the rights holder's consent or compensation. In his view, copyright infringement on the game and AI training on various materials are different issues that should not be conflated.
As of now, Epic Games has not specified when the new conditions will take effect or which particular provisions of the EULA will be changed. According to Game Developer, the company did not respond to additional inquiries from the publication.