The Divinity Developer Clarifies Its Application of Machine Learning for Next Divinity

The team behind acclaimed titles like Baldur's Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin just unveiled its new project, sparking significant hype within the gaming community. However, follow-up statements from the studio's co-founder have added clarity to the narrative, touching on the studio's approach toward machine learning.

AI as a Creative Assistant, Not a Substitute

In a recent statement, Larian's director explained that the team is employing machine learning for particular supporting tasks. These involve developing presentation materials, creating initial artistic references, and creating draft text.

Notably, Vincke stressed that the end assets in the game will be crafted solely by real writers. "We are writing every line manually," he said.

Our studio is constantly expanding our roster of writers and are currently assembling dedicated writer rooms.

Since concept art is being explicitly called out — we presently have twenty-three visual developers and have positions available for additional creatives.

Each initiative we do is additive and designed to enabling creatives to spend more time on actual creation.

Any AI system applied correctly is supplementary to a developer's routine, never a stand-in for their skill.

Responding to Feedback and Defining the Path

The news of using AI at first generated backlash among portions of the community. In reply, Vincke issued more detail on public forums.

"Our team utilizes machine learning to research ideas, in the same way we use the internet and reference books," he stated. "In the initial ideation stages we use it as a simple sketch for structure which we then replace with original illustrations."

He noted, "We've hired creatives for their creative vision, not for their ability to execute what a machine suggests."

Three Pillars of Practical Application

Vincke had previously outlined the company's focused approach to AI and ML, grouping its use into primary areas:

• Handling Monotonous Jobs: Areas like motion capture cleaning, audio processing, and pipeline-specific tasks like adjusting assets for various species.
• Accelerated Iteration: Using technology to quickly build basic models of mechanics to validate concepts ahead of complete implementation.
• Future Potential for Gameplay: Exploring how AI could eventually facilitate innovative player agency, particularly in simulating dynamic reactions in a complex RPG.

He explicitly affirmed that key artistic disciplines — including visual art — are are absolutely not fields where the studio is reducing human involvement. On the contrary, Larian is actively hiring in these precise roles.

"Larian is neither launching a game with AI-generated content, nor considering reducing creatives to substitute them with artificial intelligence," Vincke summarized.