Baldur’s Gate 3 Writer Critiques AI-Generated Content as “3/10” and Unhelpful for Game Development

Larian Studios has recently faced some scrutiny regarding the use of generative AI in their development process. A key figure behind Baldur’s Gate 3 and the upcoming Divinity title took the opportunity to address these concerns, clarifying that such tools are not involved in actual scripting, as their output is often subpar.

Adam Smith, the writing director at Larian, responded to inquiries during a Reddit AMA. He firmly stated, “We don’t have any text generation touching our dialogues, journal entries, or other writing in Divinity,” effectively dismissing the notion that technology is encroaching on genuine creativity.

When asked if generative text could serve as a useful placeholder in game production, he simply replied, “it doesn’t,” elaborating on Larian’s approach. “We had a limited group experimenting with tools to generate text, but the results hit a 3/10 at best, and those tools are for research purposes, not for use in Divinity,” Smith explained.

He added, “Even my worst first drafts – and there are a LOT of them – are at least a 4/10 (although Swen might disagree),” emphasizing the extensive iteration required to refine even individual lines to meet their quality standards.

Smith highlighted that there are “great many eyes and hands” involved in crafting any line or piece of text before it reaches the final product. This collaborative effort is crucial, especially for a studio like Larian, known for creating intricate RPGs like Baldur’s Gate 3 and the Divinity series. No creative decision is made in isolation, and relying on AI tools like ChatGPT cannot replace the depth of actual teamwork.

His point about the inferior quality of AI-generated content compared to human writing is clear, and any feedback session would only reinforce that. Regardless of how the next Divinity game turns out, it will be the result of the dedicated efforts of Larian’s developers.

As the team transitions from Baldur’s Gate 3 to the new Divinity project, Larian’s lead emphasizes a writing process designed to “encourage the chaos” and explore scenarios “in every conceivable way.”