This week, the news that Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian Studios is using generative AI “at the very early stages” to “explore references” for its concept artists working on its upcoming new game Divinity ignited major controversy, with players and developers alike across the gaming industry criticizing the RPG maker for its adoption of the technology.
Larian’s stance on the matter — as explained by both publishing director Michael Douse and studio founder and CEO Swen Vincke — is that AI is an optional tool its developers can use if they want to, and that “they can experiment with these tools to make their lives easier.” It’s also promised that there will be no AI-generated content in Divinity itself, and compares its use to the way artists might search Google or art books for a reference to look at.
