Larian Studios Explains Its Application of AI Tools for Upcoming Divinity Game

The developer behind hit role-playing games like Baldur's Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin just teased its new project, sparking a wave of excitement within the player base. However, subsequent statements from the company's co-founder have introduced nuance to the conversation, addressing the team's philosophy toward AI tools.

A Tool for Ideation, Not Replacement

In a new message, Larian's director explained that the developer is utilizing generative AI for specific supporting functions. These include developing pitch decks, generating rough artistic references, and drafting draft dialogue.

Importantly, Vincke stressed that the shipping content in the game will be authored exclusively by human writers. "Larian is creating all the content in-house," he stated.

We are continuously growing our roster of writers and are busily putting together writing teams.

Since this area is being particularly referenced — we currently have 23 artistic staff and have positions available for more artists.

Everything we do is additive and designed to having people spend additional energy on actual creation.

Any machine learning application applied correctly is a boost to a artist's process, not a replacement for their skill.

Addressing Concerns and Clarifying the Vision

The admission of using AI initially generated backlash among some the community. In response, Vincke offered additional elaboration on public forums.

"At Larian, we employ machine learning to research ideas, just like we use the internet and reference books," he wrote. "During the conceptual ideation stages we use it as a basic framework for layout which we then replace with hand-crafted illustrations."

He continued, "Our studio recruits talent for their inherent skill, not for their ability to execute what a AI generates."

Three Pillars of Practical Application

Vincke had previously outlined the team's practical strategy to this technology, defining its use into three main pillars:

• Handling Monotonous Jobs: This encompasses refining animations, audio processing, and technical processes like adjusting assets for various species.
• Rapid Prototyping ('White Boxing'): Using tools to speedily create basic mock-ups of scenarios to validate concepts before complete development.
• Experimental Frontiers: Researching how machine learning could one day enhance emergent player agency, specifically in creating player-driven narratives in a vast role-playing world.

He explicitly noted that central narrative domains — including visual art — are are absolutely not fields where the team is replacing human input. Conversely, Larian is actively hiring in these exact positions.

"We are not shipping a game with machine-made assets, nor planning on trimming down staff to swap them out with artificial intelligence," Vincke concluded.