The Creators of Baldur's Gate 3 Clarifies Its Use of Generative AI for Upcoming Divinity Game

The team behind popular titles like Baldur's Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin has recently teased its new project, creating immense excitement within the gaming community. However, follow-up statements from the studio's co-founder have added clarity to the discussion, focusing on the studio's philosophy toward generative artificial intelligence.

A Tool for Ideation, Not Replacement

In a new message, Swen Vincke detailed that the company is utilizing AI technology for certain ancillary tasks. These encompass fleshing out PowerPoint slides, producing rough artistic references, and writing draft dialogue.

Notably, Vincke emphasized that the end material in the game will be crafted solely by actual writers. "We are writing every line ourselves," he affirmed.

Larian is actively increasing our pool of concept artists and are currently forming narrative groups.

As visual development is being specifically called out — we presently have over twenty artistic staff and have job openings for more artists.

All our efforts we do is supplementary and aimed at letting our team spend greater focus on actual creation.

Every AI system implemented properly is additive to a creative team workflow, never a stand-in for their talent.

Addressing Concerns and Clarifying the Vision

The admission of employing this technology initially sparked concern among some the fanbase. In reaction, Vincke provided more detail on online platforms.

"Our team utilizes AI tools to explore references, in the same way we use the internet and reference books," he explained. "During the conceptual brainstorming phase we use it as a basic framework for layout which we then swap out with authentic artwork."

He added, "We've hired creatives for their creative vision, not for their capacity to follow what a algorithm proposes."

Three Pillars of Practical Application

Vincke had previously detailed the studio's targeted strategy to this technology, categorizing its use into primary functions:

• Handling Monotonous Jobs: This encompasses motion capture cleaning, dialogue cleanup, and Larian-specific work like adapting animations for different models.
• Rapid Prototyping ('White Boxing'): Using tools to speedily create basic versions of gameplay ideas to test concepts ahead of full implementation.
• Future Potential for Gameplay: Exploring how AI could one day create emergent gameplay, particularly in managing player-driven narratives in a vast role-playing world.

He explicitly noted that key artistic areas — such as visual art — are not areas where the team is cutting creative talent. On the contrary, Larian is recruiting more in these very roles.

"We are neither releasing a game with any AI components, and we are certainly not looking at reducing teams to replace them with artificial intelligence," Vincke summarized.