Venris, the author of the popular SFO: Grimhammer III mod for Total War: Warhammer 3, deliberately changed the design to prevent unauthorized copying.
spread Artificial Intelligence Generated Content It also created new tensions within the modding community. A striking case is SFO: Hammer of Terror IIIone of the most popular mods Total War: Warhammer 3Its creator, Venris, decided to take an unusual step to combat unauthorized copies of his work.
artificial intelligence parasite
This story takes place after the game’s version 9.0 update, which was released alongside the Last Lord expansion pack. As is often the case after a new version of Total War: Warhammer 3 is released, even the most complex mods will need to be updated to be compatible with the game again. SFO: Grimhammer III is currently being updated, but according to its author, some users have already started using it AI tools adapt work to new versions Then republish it on the Steam Workshop as if it were your own creation.
Venris recounted the situation in a post on Patreon, explaining that he decided to intervene directly in the mod’s operations. “Due to the increasing number of unauthorized reloads of SFO: Grimhammer III and, more importantly, the use of artificial intelligence in the process, I intentionally broke the mod to prevent it from processing these unauthorized uploads,” the modder wrote.
Total War: Warhammer III, Lord of Doom released with Update 9.0
Venris also warned that if the phenomenon continues to develop, its impact could reach Make mod private. However, his position goes beyond simple infringement of the work of others, to the way in which artificial intelligence is used to copy or modify content created by the community.
“SFO: Grimhammer is the result of nearly a decade of passion and love for this community and fantasy world,” he explains. “That’s why I don’t allow anyone to take my work without permission. Especially for artificial intelligence purposes.”
The message ends with an invitation: “Support modders, not AI,” and clarifies that SFO mods will continue to be free. “As long as I’m here, SFO mods are, are, and will be free for everyone. No paywalls,” Venris added.
Will AI kill mods?
At least judging by the visibility of the issue, the protests appear to have achieved their purpose. After temporarily breaking the mod, the author actually decided to restore a working version of Total War: Warhammer 3 version 8.1.1 on Steam.
In his second speech, Venris thanked the community for supporting him and explained that he knew his initiative wouldn’t necessarily stop others from stealing modders’ work. “I know my actions won’t stop those who choose to steal the work of other modders, but at least they help bring attention to an issue that is currently affecting us. Steam Creative Workshop The game we love,” he said.
According to Venris, over the past few weeks the workshop will Filled with more and more modifications made entirely through artificial intelligence. Therefore, the authors wanted an intervention that would allow creators to continue sharing their work without having to worry about it being copied and republished by others.
However, his position is not a complete rejection of artificial intelligence in mods. In fact, Venris recognizes that technology can play a role as a supporting tool: “The use of AI in modding is a frequently discussed topic. I would just add that AI should be a tool that supports modding, not replace it, and should stay that way.”
