The Creators of Baldur's Gate 3 Clarifies Its Implementation of Machine Learning for New Project

The studio behind hit role-playing games like Baldur's Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin has recently unveiled its upcoming project, sparking immense excitement within the industry. However, follow-up statements from the company's lead designer have brought clarity to the narrative, addressing the studio's philosophy toward generative artificial intelligence.

Augmenting Workflows, Not Cutting Jobs

In a recent message, Larian's director detailed that the developer is using AI technology for particular preliminary tasks. These include developing pitch decks, generating early-stage artistic references, and writing draft text.

Notably, Vincke emphasized that the shipping content in the game will be authored solely by actual creatives. "We are creating every line in-house," he said.

Our studio is continuously increasing our roster of concept artists and are actively forming narrative groups.

Given that this area is being explicitly referenced — we currently have 23 artistic staff and have job openings for additional artists.

Each initiative we do is additive and focused on having people spend additional energy on making content.

Every ML tool applied correctly is supplementary to a creative team routine, not a substitute for their skill.

Addressing Concerns and Clarifying the Vision

The revelation of employing this technology at first provoked unease among a segment of the fanbase. In response, Vincke offered further detail on social media.

"Our team utilizes AI tools to gather inspiration, just like we use the internet and physical media," he wrote. "During the initial brainstorming phase we use it as a simple sketch for composition which we then swap out with hand-crafted artwork."

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

Focused Uses for Machine Learning

Vincke had in the past outlined the team's focused approach to machine learning, grouping its use into three main areas:

• Handling Monotonous Jobs: This encompasses polishing mocap data, dialogue cleanup, and Larian-specific work like retargeting animations.
• Accelerated Iteration: Using technology to speedily create rough versions of mechanics to validate concepts ahead of full implementation.
• Experimental Frontiers: Investigating how AI could one day facilitate new forms of player agency, especially in creating player-driven narratives in a complex RPG.

He specifically noted that central narrative disciplines — such as visual art — are are in no way departments where the studio is reducing creative talent. Conversely, Larian is recruiting more in these very fields.

"Larian is neither shipping a game with AI-generated content, nor considering trimming down teams to substitute them with artificial intelligence," Vincke concluded.