The Creators of Baldur's Gate 3 Clarifies Its Application of AI Tools for Next Project

The studio behind popular RPGs like Baldur's Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin just teased its new project, generating a wave of anticipation within the industry. However, subsequent statements from the company's co-founder have introduced nuance to the conversation, touching on the developer's stance toward AI tools.

AI as a Creative Assistant, Not a Substitute

In a new message, the studio's founder outlined that the team is employing AI technology for particular ancillary purposes. These include enhancing pitch decks, creating rough concept art, and creating placeholder dialogue.

Notably, Vincke emphasized that the final material in the game will be crafted entirely by actual writers. "Larian is writing everything manually," he said.

We are actively expanding our team of concept artists and are busily assembling dedicated writer rooms.

Since concept art is being particularly referenced — we right now have twenty-three concept artists and have roles to fill for further talent.

Each initiative we do is incremental and focused on letting our team spend greater focus on making content.

Any ML tool used well is a boost to a developer's process, not a replacement for their talent.

Tempering Reactions with Clear Intent

The admission of employing this technology originally provoked concern among a segment of the community. In reaction, Vincke provided further detail on online platforms.

"At Larian, we employ these tools to gather inspiration, similar to we use Google and reference books," he stated. "During the very early planning process we use it as a basic framework for layout which we then replace with original illustrations."

He continued, "Our studio recruits talent for their unique talent, not for their capacity to follow what a machine suggests."

Key Areas of AI Integration

Vincke had in the past broken down the company's practical strategy to this technology, defining its use into three main areas:

• Handling Monotonous Jobs: Areas like polishing mocap data, dialogue cleanup, and Larian-specific work like adapting animations for different models.
• Rapid Prototyping ('White Boxing'): Using tools to quickly build basic versions of scenarios to test concepts prior to full implementation.
• Future Potential for Gameplay: Exploring how AI could in the future create emergent player agency, specifically in creating dynamic reactions in a vast role-playing world.

He explicitly affirmed that key artistic domains — such as music composition — are are absolutely not fields where the company is replacing creative involvement. On the contrary, Larian is recruiting more in these very positions.

"We are not launching a game with AI-generated content, nor planning on cutting staff to swap them out with artificial intelligence," Vincke stated definitively.