🔗 Share this article The Divinity Developer Clarifies Its Application of Machine Learning for New Project The developer behind acclaimed RPGs like Baldur's Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin recently unveiled its new project, sparking significant anticipation within the industry. However, subsequent statements from the company's lead designer have introduced clarity to the discussion, focusing on the developer's approach toward machine learning. AI as a Creative Assistant, Not a Substitute In a new statement, the studio's founder outlined that the developer is using generative AI for particular ancillary tasks. These involve fleshing out PowerPoint slides, producing rough visual ideas, and creating placeholder copy. Importantly, Vincke made clear that the shipping assets in the game will be created entirely by human creatives. "Our team is creating all the content manually," he affirmed. Our studio is continuously expanding our roster of concept artists and are currently forming writing teams. Given that this area is being specifically mentioned — we currently have 23 visual developers and have job openings for more artists. Everything we do is incremental and focused on letting our team spend more time on making content. Any ML tool used well is a boost to a creative team process, not a replacement for their talent. Tempering Reactions with Clear Intent The admission of AI usage originally generated unease among portions of the community. In reaction, Vincke issued additional clarification on online platforms. "At Larian, we employ these tools to gather inspiration, in the same way we use Google and art books," he wrote. "During the very early brainstorming phase we use it as a rough outline for structure which we then substitute with original concept art." He noted, "We've hired artists for their unique talent, not for their capacity to execute what a algorithm proposes." Three Pillars of Practical Application Vincke had previously outlined the team's targeted method to this technology, defining its use into key pillars: Handling Monotonous Jobs: This includes polishing mocap data, dialogue cleanup, and pipeline-specific tasks like adjusting assets for various species. Accelerated Iteration: Using systems to quickly build basic models of gameplay ideas to experiment with concepts before expensive development. Long-Term Aspirations: Exploring how AI could eventually create new forms of player agency, especially in creating dynamic reactions in a complex RPG. He clearly noted that central narrative disciplines — such as music composition — are are in no way areas where the team is cutting creative input. Conversely, Larian is actively hiring in these exact roles. "We are not releasing a game with AI-generated content, and we are certainly not considering cutting staff to replace them with AI," Vincke summarized.
The developer behind acclaimed RPGs like Baldur's Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin recently unveiled its new project, sparking significant anticipation within the industry. However, subsequent statements from the company's lead designer have introduced clarity to the discussion, focusing on the developer's approach toward machine learning. AI as a Creative Assistant, Not a Substitute In a new statement, the studio's founder outlined that the developer is using generative AI for particular ancillary tasks. These involve fleshing out PowerPoint slides, producing rough visual ideas, and creating placeholder copy. Importantly, Vincke made clear that the shipping assets in the game will be created entirely by human creatives. "Our team is creating all the content manually," he affirmed. Our studio is continuously expanding our roster of concept artists and are currently forming writing teams. Given that this area is being specifically mentioned — we currently have 23 visual developers and have job openings for more artists. Everything we do is incremental and focused on letting our team spend more time on making content. Any ML tool used well is a boost to a creative team process, not a replacement for their talent. Tempering Reactions with Clear Intent The admission of AI usage originally generated unease among portions of the community. In reaction, Vincke issued additional clarification on online platforms. "At Larian, we employ these tools to gather inspiration, in the same way we use Google and art books," he wrote. "During the very early brainstorming phase we use it as a rough outline for structure which we then substitute with original concept art." He noted, "We've hired artists for their unique talent, not for their capacity to execute what a algorithm proposes." Three Pillars of Practical Application Vincke had previously outlined the team's targeted method to this technology, defining its use into key pillars: Handling Monotonous Jobs: This includes polishing mocap data, dialogue cleanup, and pipeline-specific tasks like adjusting assets for various species. Accelerated Iteration: Using systems to quickly build basic models of gameplay ideas to experiment with concepts before expensive development. Long-Term Aspirations: Exploring how AI could eventually create new forms of player agency, especially in creating dynamic reactions in a complex RPG. He clearly noted that central narrative disciplines — such as music composition — are are in no way areas where the team is cutting creative input. Conversely, Larian is actively hiring in these exact roles. "We are not releasing a game with AI-generated content, and we are certainly not considering cutting staff to replace them with AI," Vincke summarized.