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Saber CEO’s 'Replace Her With AI' Comment Intensifies Dispute Over Rideshare "Stimulator" Writing

The clash raises fresh questions over undisclosed player-facing AI on Steam, company transparency, worker replacement, reputational risk, platform disclosure compliance.

Overview

  • Former Saber lead writer Stella Sacco says she was removed from work on Rideshare "Stimulator" and that passenger dialogue was generated by ChatGPT, a claim she made public on Bluesky and has repeated to reporters.
  • Saber has denied that it replaced writers wholesale, saying the game's main story was written by humans while acknowledging that an experimental free-ride mode will use generative AI because it must handle effectively unlimited passenger lines.
  • The dispute escalated Thursday when CEO Matthew Karch told a games outlet he would "have been happy to replace her with AI" and accused Sacco of violating a confidentiality clause, a remark Sacco called damaging and false.
  • Reporters found that Rideshare's Steam storefront lacked Valve's required AI boilerplate at the time of reporting and Saber says it will add a disclosure once the feature set is finalised.
  • Beyond the immediate claims, the episode sharpens industry debates about how studios integrate generative AI, the need for clear player-facing labels, the risks to developer reputations, and potential effects on writers' jobs.