adminImage credit: Unigine/Saber Interactive
Discussion of Saber Interactive AI use has drawn attention after writer Stella Sacco said she was replaced by ChatGPT while working on the upcoming Rideshare Stimulator. The studio’s chief creative officer, Tim Willits, has now addressed the dispute and clarified how the company says it is exploring generative AI in its games.
Saber Interactive AI and the writer replacement claims
Sacco said in August that she had been the lead writer on Rideshare Stimulator before the company replaced her with ChatGPT during development. CEO Matthew Karch responded publicly, disputing her account and saying she had been let go for several reasons. Sacco then reiterated that her original claims were true and criticized the tone of Karch’s response.
Asked about the exchange at Gamescom, Willits described Karch’s remarks as sarcasm. He also made the company’s position clear: he said Saber Interactive has not replaced anyone with AI. That distinction matters because the public dispute concerns a particular employment claim, while the company’s game disclosure describes selected uses of AI tools.
How AI is being used in Rideshare Stimulator
The game’s Steam disclosure says its main campaign story, characters, and dialogue were written by human writers. It also states that AI tools are used for voice generation and some localization. In the optional Free Ride mode, passenger missions and localized dialogue can be AI-generated. The radio stations include both human-created and AI-generated music.
Willits said the studio is testing these features to learn where AI might be useful and whether players respond positively. He emphasized that the other writing in the game, including its side missions, was created by people. For players evaluating the game, the practical point is to distinguish between human-written core content and the specific optional or production features identified in its disclosure.
AI in Saber Interactive’s production process
Willits said generative AI is not part of Saber’s production pipelines for areas such as code, environments, or textures. He also said the company does not use generative AI in games including Space Marine, Hellraiser, and Stuntman.
His comments leave room for future experimentation. Willits suggested that a well-designed use of AI could eventually become a meaningful part of a game experience, but said the industry is still working out which applications are effective. He expects larger games to explore AI more visibly, while describing Rideshare Stimulator as an experiment whose reception remains to be seen.
What players should take away
The current information points to a limited, disclosed set of AI features in Rideshare Stimulator, rather than AI replacing the human-written campaign. Willits’s statement addresses Saber’s position on replacing staff, while the game’s disclosure outlines where AI-generated material may appear. Checking those details can help players understand what is human-made, what is AI-assisted, and which features are optional.
In short, Saber Interactive AI use is being tested in specific parts of Rideshare Stimulator, according to the company’s statements and the game’s disclosure. The studio says it has not replaced employees with AI, and its future approach will depend on whether new applications are useful and well received by players.
