Neil Newbon asserts that AI can’t replicate the unique depth and humanity of Baldur’s Gate 3, calling it “too interesting, subtle, and off the wall.”

Neil Newbon, the voice behind Astarion in the acclaimed 2023 RPG Baldur’s Gate 3, has made his stance on generative AI in gaming abundantly clear: he wants nothing to do with it.

Newbon has been vocal about his disdain for AI, previously stating that it “sucks,” “doesn’t work very well,” and “sounds crap,” among other colorful remarks.

In the finale of his extensive 126-part YouTube series where he played through the entire game, he reiterated his strong opposition to the idea of using generative AI in game development. He questioned why anyone would consider it when incredible games like Baldur’s Gate 3 can be created without AI’s involvement.

“It just goes to show to you, folks, forget AI,” Newbon declared. “This game could never be made by AI. It’s too interesting, subtle, crazy, off the wall, pathos-filled. It’s too human. So yeah, there’s no way AI could make this.”

While the gaming industry has had to embrace some level of AI for tasks like automation, the use of AI for generating art, writing, or voice acting remains a contentious issue. This is evident in Larian’s shift from initially acknowledging AI’s role in concept art for Divinity to a firm commitment against its use in any capacity.

In a somewhat related note, Larian has humorously assured fans that Divinity will not feature AI-generated genitals, stating, “I can guarantee that all the genitals in the game will be manually crafted with love.”