The Divinity Developer Explains Its Application of Generative AI for Next Divinity Game

The team behind acclaimed RPGs like Baldur's Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin has recently shown its new project, creating a wave of excitement within the gaming community. However, recent remarks from the company's co-founder have added a new dimension to the conversation, addressing the team's approach toward machine learning.

A Tool for Ideation, Not Replacement

In a recent message, Larian's director outlined that the company is employing machine learning for certain preliminary functions. These involve enhancing PowerPoint slides, generating rough visual ideas, and writing draft text.

Crucially, Vincke stressed that the shipping material in the game will be crafted solely by human artists. "Our team is creating all the content in-house," he affirmed.

Our studio is continuously increasing our team of writers and are busily putting together narrative groups.

Since this area is being explicitly called out — we presently have 23 artistic staff and have positions available for more creatives.

Everything we do is supplementary and designed to enabling creatives to spend more time on making content.

Every ML tool implemented properly is supplementary to a creative team workflow, never a stand-in for their talent.

Responding to Feedback and Defining the Path

The news of using AI originally generated concern among some the player base. In reaction, Vincke offered further elaboration on public forums.

"At Larian, we employ AI tools to explore references, just like we use Google and art books," he wrote. "In the very early planning process we use it as a basic framework for structure which we then substitute with original concept art."

He noted, "Larian brings on artists for their creative vision, not for their capacity to follow what a AI generates."

Focused Uses for Machine Learning

Vincke had earlier detailed the company's focused approach to this technology, categorizing its use into three main functions:

• Automation of Tedious Tasks: Areas like motion capture cleaning, voice editing, and Larian-specific work like adjusting assets for various species.
• Rapid Prototyping ('White Boxing'): Using technology to quickly build rough mock-ups of gameplay ideas to experiment with concepts prior to expensive development.
• Future Potential for Gameplay: Researching how AI could eventually facilitate innovative gameplay, especially in creating player-driven narratives in a detailed game universe.

He clearly noted that core creative domains — such as visual art — are are in no way fields where the studio is reducing human talent. In fact, Larian is actively hiring in these precise roles.

"Larian is neither shipping a game with machine-made assets, and we are certainly not planning on trimming down teams to swap them out with AI," Vincke concluded.