The Divinity Developer Details Its Application of AI Tools for New Divinity Game

The studio behind hit titles like Baldur's Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin just teased its new project, sparking a wave of anticipation within the player base. However, follow-up comments from the company's figurehead have added clarity to the discussion, addressing the studio's approach toward AI tools.

Augmenting Workflows, Not Cutting Jobs

In a new message, Swen Vincke detailed that the company is using AI technology for specific ancillary purposes. These include enhancing PowerPoint slides, generating initial concept art, and creating draft copy.

Crucially, Vincke stressed that the final assets in the game will be authored exclusively by real creatives. "Our team is developing every line manually," he affirmed.

Larian is actively increasing our roster of concept artists and are busily putting together dedicated writer rooms.

As this area is being explicitly mentioned — we right now have over twenty visual developers and have roles to fill for further talent.

Everything we do is additive and aimed at enabling creatives to spend more time on the creative process.

Every machine learning application used well is a boost to a artist's process, not a replacement for their craft.

Addressing Concerns and Clarifying the Vision

The news of AI usage initially provoked unease among a segment of the player base. In reaction, Vincke provided further clarification on social media.

"Our team utilizes machine learning to research ideas, in the same way we use search engines and art books," he stated. "During the initial brainstorming phase we use it as a rough outline for composition which we then swap out with hand-crafted illustrations."

He added, "We've hired creatives for their unique talent, not for their capacity to execute what a algorithm proposes."

Focused Uses for Machine Learning

Vincke had in the past broken down the studio's targeted strategy to machine learning, grouping its use into three main areas:

• Automation of Tedious Tasks: Areas like refining animations, dialogue cleanup, and Larian-specific work like adjusting assets for various species.
• Rapid Prototyping ('White Boxing'): Using systems to quickly build basic models of scenarios to validate concepts before expensive production.
• Long-Term Aspirations: Exploring how AI could one day facilitate new forms of reactivity, particularly in managing unforeseen permutations in a vast role-playing world.

He explicitly affirmed that key artistic domains — like music composition — are are in no way areas where the company is reducing creative talent. In fact, Larian is actively hiring in these very fields.

"Our studio is neither launching a game with AI-generated content, and we are certainly not planning on reducing teams to replace them with AI," Vincke summarized.