Nexus Mods, the world's largest mod site and more or less a second home for anyone who's ever installed a Bethesda game, has new rules regarding AI-generated and AI-assisted mods on its platform. In short, it's taking a Steam-ish approach: no outright bans on AI content, but it's compulsory to disclose where it's been used in your mods, and to what extent.
"An outright ban will not eliminate AI from the modding process but will prevent people from mentioning its use", wrote Nexus owner Victor 'Foledinho' Folmann in an update yesterday. "We'd prefer the opposite; it should be out in the open, clearly labelled, and regulated according to the rules that we can implement on our platform".
So, starting yesterday, modders uploading new projects to Nexus will have to tick a box declaring how much AI was used in their work, including promotional materials. They can declare their mods "AI-generated", which is to say mostly produced by AI; "AI assisted", for mods that are mostly human-made with a little LLM assistance on the side; or declare them free of the tech's touch altogether.
"AI assisted" modders will also have to make public explanations as to where and how AI has been used, in addition to the box-ticking. The tags will be shown more prominently—right after adult-content tags.
Meanwhile, Nexus itself is pledging never to use mods to train AI or to sell them to third parties that want to do so. The site is also introducing new permissions that will let authors declare whether they are open to (non-Nexus) parties using their creations for AI use and training, with the default being "Ask Me".
How long does everyone have to get themselves in-line with the new rules? Glad you asked. "We'll also be introducing a 60-day grace period for existing mods to meet the new requirements, giving Mod Authors time to review their mods and make any necessary changes to them. This grace period starts today (3rd November 2026) and ends on 2nd January 2027."
I was a little unsure as to whether the new rules would truly apply to every mod on Nexus. There are a lot of them, after all, and plenty that have long since been abandoned by their original creators. Nevertheless, Nexus tells me that "it applies to every mod uploaded to the site, including ones that were uploaded prior to our announcement and the grace period." So better get your ducks in a row, mod authors.
Anyway, will every modder using AI dutifully hew to these rules? No, but Nexus says it knows that. "While we hope these changes will encourage everyone to disclose their AI usage, to be honest, that’s not going to happen. Additionally, we are putting clear moderation standards in place, enforced with consequences for breaking the rules", says Folmann. We'll see how it all shakes out in the months to come.
