itch.io expands AI disclosure to books and comics, adds search filtering

Indie marketplace itch.io expanded mandatory generative AI disclosure on November 3 to tabletop games, books, comics and soundtracks. Creators in those categories must complete the disclosure when creating or editing a page. Game assets have carried the requirement for roughly two years. The announcement explicitly lists those four newly covered categories.

The company also said it was adding disclosure-based filtering to more parts of the site, including search results. Its accompanying example shows results with “No AI” selected. The changes connect broader collection of creators’ declarations with more places for visitors to narrow what they see. The example illustrates disclosure-based filtering, with accuracy and platform-wide AI usage left unquantified.

The disclosure form was introduced on November 20, 2024. Creators identify whether their project contains generative AI output and classify graphics, sound, text and dialogue, or code. A positive answer adds AI-generated tags and sub-tags; a negative answer adds the “No AI” tag.

The form handles those classifications automatically, allowing administrators to rename tags later. The original asset guidance includes AI-generated materials modified afterward and ties missing labels to discovery eligibility. The November 3 expansion applies the mandatory form to four more categories.

Disclosure requirements and AI spam removal

In a separate November 3 post, itch.io said it had deleted “a couple terabytes” of low-quality AI content. The statement describes storage volume, leaving the exact byte count and affected project count unspecified. The deletion statement and the expansion of disclosure requirements are distinct actions announced on the same day.

The company also reminded creators that its AI spam clause has existed for more than two years. Current quality guidelines treat automated mass production of product pages as potential spam. The guidelines define generative AI through models trained on large datasets to create content. Self-contained game algorithms, such as NPC pathfinding and procedural levels, are exempt.

The actions follow a rise in new listings. On November 1, itch.io said the number of game pages created each day had doubled over two months, while downloads and purchases had not doubled. The statement compares their pace of growth, leaving changes in downloads or revenue unquantified.

In a November 2 clarification, the company said first-time uploaders drove the increase in its graph. It said it actively removes bulk uploaders violating its quality rules from discovery listings. Another reply said its database provided no indication that a small group controlled large numbers of accounts, and warned that creating extra accounts to evade standard platform limits would trigger an immediate ban.

The guidelines describe removal from discovery indexes, including search and recommendations, while leaving pages reachable through their direct addresses or creator profiles. That outcome differs from the file deletion reported on November 3. The site cites legal ambiguity over generative AI rights as its reason for strictly enforcing disclosures in those five categories; missing disclosures can lead to delisting.