Saber denies replacing writers with ChatGPT on Rideshare Stimulator game

Stella Sacco, who served as lead writer on the Rideshare Stimulator game developed by Unigine and published by Saber, posted on Bluesky claiming that "Saber replaced me with ChatGPT midway through development." She further stated that "all the passenger voices were AI too" and questioned whether Saber had changed direction or simply failed to disclose its use of generative AI on the game's Steam store page. The Rideshare Stimulator, announced last month, is described by Saber as an "immersive driving simulation game that puts you behind the wheel as a rideshare business owner." In a teaser trailer, the segments featuring simulated riders appear to include AI-generated writing and audio, according to The Verge's analysis. However, the game's Steam listing currently contains no disclosure of generative AI use.

In response to Sacco's allegations, Saber CEO Matthew Karch provided a statement to The Verge denying the core claim. "Neither Saber nor Unigine have replaced any writers with AI," Karch said. He went on to explain that the game will feature an experimental free-ride mode that "by necessity incorporates AI as the number of passengers in the game is infinite." Karch positioned AI as a tool within Saber's long-standing development philosophy, stating: "We are firm believers in using AI tools to improve or enhance gameplay experiences and improve NPC behavior as we have done since Saber was founded in 2001." He also noted that Saber continues to hire despite industry contraction, saying "None of our 3000+ employees have to worry about being replaced by AI."

Sacco responded directly to Karch's statement in a message to The Verge, rejecting the framing. She argued that Karch's position attempts to have it both ways: claiming that "writers wrote the story" while simultaneously admitting that "computers wrote the text." Sacco emphasized that she was explicitly told by Saber in December 2023 that she was being replaced, and stressed that if both human-written and AI-written passenger rides appear in the final game, then AI was used to displace labor, regardless of Karch's assertion. "You can't win on the labor part of the statement while you admit you took work away from labor in the next part," Sacco said. "It's ridiculous." The fundamental disagreement remains unresolved: whether using AI to generate some content in a game while retaining human-written content elsewhere constitutes replacing a writer, and whether the absence of disclosure on the Steam page about AI involvement represents adequate transparency to consumers.