The Divinity Developer Explains Its Use of Generative AI for Next Project

The team behind hit role-playing games like Baldur's Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin recently shown its upcoming project, creating immense excitement within the gaming community. However, follow-up remarks from the company's co-founder have introduced clarity to the conversation, addressing the team's philosophy toward generative artificial intelligence.

Augmenting Workflows, Not Cutting Jobs

In a latest clarification, Larian's director detailed that the company is using AI technology for specific preliminary purposes. These include enhancing presentation materials, producing initial visual ideas, and creating placeholder dialogue.

Notably, Vincke stressed that the final material in the game will be created solely by actual artists. "Our team is developing all the content manually," he said.

Our studio is continuously growing our pool of writers and are currently forming writing teams.

Given that concept art is being specifically called out — we currently have over twenty visual developers and have job openings for further creatives.

Each initiative we do is supplementary and focused on enabling creatives to spend greater focus on the creative process.

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

Tempering Reactions with Clear Intent

The revelation of using AI at first provoked concern among some the player base. In response, Vincke offered more detail on social media.

"At Larian, we employ these tools to explore references, similar to we use Google and reference books," he wrote. "In the very early planning process we use it as a rough outline for structure which we then swap out with original artwork."

He added, "Larian brings on artists for their unique talent, not for their ability to execute what a AI generates."

Three Pillars of Practical Application

Vincke had earlier detailed the company's practical strategy to AI and ML, defining its use into primary areas:

• Handling Monotonous Jobs: This includes motion capture cleaning, audio processing, and technical processes like adjusting assets for various species.
• Rapid Prototyping ('White Boxing'): Using technology to speedily create basic versions of gameplay ideas to test concepts before complete production.
• Experimental Frontiers: Researching how AI could eventually enhance new forms of gameplay, particularly in creating dynamic reactions in a detailed game universe.

He specifically noted that central narrative areas — like music composition — are are absolutely not areas where the studio is reducing creative involvement. On the contrary, Larian is actively hiring in these precise fields.

"We are not releasing a game with machine-made assets, and we are certainly not planning on trimming down creatives to swap them out with artificial intelligence," Vincke stated definitively.