Baldur’s Gate 3 Developer Open to Using AI-Generated Assets in Future RPGs, Provided They’re Based on Owned Data

Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke has provided fresh insights into how the renowned RPG developer plans to incorporate generative AI tools in the creation of its upcoming title, Divinity. During a recent AMA on Reddit, he clarified earlier comments about using generative AI for concept art references, stating that while the game might feature AI-generated assets, the studio will only proceed if they are completely confident about the origins of the training data and have obtained consent from the original creators.

Vincke faced criticism last month after discussing Larian’s experimentation with AI tools in an interview, where he mentioned their potential for generating concept art references, creating presentations, and streamlining early production processes. He emphasized that the studio is not using these tools to reduce its workforce and reiterated that no AI elements would be included in the final game.

In the AMA, which was held in response to the backlash, Vincke announced that the studio will no longer utilize AI in the concept art phase. He mentioned that they are exploring the use of generative AI tools trained solely on Larian’s own assets. Here’s what he had to say:

“So first off – there is not going to be any GenAI art in Divinity.

I know there’s been a lot of discussion about us using AI tools as part of concept art exploration. We already said this doesn’t mean the actual concept art is generated by AI but we understand it created confusion.

So, to ensure there is no room for doubt, we’ve decided to refrain from using genAI tools during concept art development.

That way there can be no discussion about the origin of the art.

Having said that, we continuously try to improve the speed with which we can try things out. The more iterations we can do, the better in general the gameplay is.

We think GenAI can help with this and so we’re trying things out across departments. Our hope is that it can aid us to refine ideas faster, leading to a more focused development cycle, less waste, and ultimately, a higher-quality game.

The important bit to note is that we will not generate “creative assets” that end up in a game without being 100% sure about the origins of the training data and the consent of those who created the data. If we use a GenAI model to create in-game assets, then it’ll be trained on data we own.”

Larian’s updated stance addresses two major concerns surrounding generative AI tools. The first is the fear that companies might use them to replace human creatives, and the second is the issue of content being derived from the work of countless individuals without proper attribution. By training generative AI tools exclusively on Larian’s proprietary assets, they aim to mitigate the latter concern, although it does imply that Divinity could still feature some AI-assisted elements.

Developers have long leveraged machine learning and procedural generation to create game components that can be refined by human hands. For instance, the vast universe of No Man’s Sky is largely generated through algorithms crafted by the Hello Games team. As technology progresses, algorithms are increasingly capable of producing elements that players encounter in finished games, which has led to mixed reactions from fans regarding the quality of AI-generated content, including loading screen art and even voice performances for NPCs, a topic that has sparked debate in the gaming community.