Swen Vincke, the CEO of Larian Studios (makers of Baldur’s Gate 3 and Divinity), is responding to criticism after his company began using artificial intelligence.
A Bloomberg report published on December 16 shed new light on Larian Studios’ use of AI.
According to the article, CEO Swen Vincke is encouraging his studio to explore generative AI, but he notes it hasn’t significantly improved efficiency yet. He also confirmed that the upcoming Divinity game will rely entirely on human writers and performers – there will be no AI-generated content.
Larian Studios isn’t using AI to create its games directly, but as a helper. They use it for things like coming up with ideas, making presentations, creating early versions of artwork, and writing temporary text.
Vincke admitted there was initial hesitation within the team, but now most members are happy with how the technology is being implemented.
The comments caused a strong negative reaction from gamers. One popular tweet criticized the studio leaders, claiming they were openly admitting to laying off concept artists.
It’s ironic that Larian Studios recently stated they wouldn’t use AI for small voice acting roles to protect up-and-coming voice actors, but now they’re announcing they are replacing concept artists with AI. It feels inconsistent to prioritize one group of artists over another when AI poses a job risk to both.
— ducky (@citadrells) December 16, 2025
Someone quickly dismissed their new game, Divinity – which was unveiled at The Game Awards – as low-quality or uninspired, calling it “AI slop.”
However, Vincke is going on the offensive and denying any such claims.
Larian CEO denies “pushing hard” to replace artists with AI
Vincke mentioned a GameSpot article from early 2025 in a post on X, explaining how their team is utilizing artificial intelligence.
He strongly refuted claims that the company was trying to replace artists with AI. “We are absolutely not ‘pushing hard’ to do that,” he stated. He clarified that they currently employ 72 artists, including 23 concept artists, and are actively looking to hire more. He emphasized that the art created by his team is original and expressed his pride in their work.
Okay, so I just wanted to clear something up – we are absolutely not trying to replace our concept artists with AI, and we’re definitely not ‘pushing hard’ in that direction! We have a really talented art team – 72 people total, and 23 of them are dedicated concept artists. In fact, we’re actually hiring more! I’m incredibly proud of the original art they create. Someone specifically asked me about concept art, and I wanted to make it clear that we value our artists and their work.
— Swen Vincke @where? (@LarAtLarian) December 16, 2025
Someone directly asked me about our concept art and whether we use AI. I explained that we use it for initial exploration of ideas, but I made it clear that our artists – who are incredibly talented – are the ones who actually create the concept art.
He explained that they only use AI for initial ideas, as a very general starting point. They then completely replace those AI-generated concepts with original artwork created by artists.
He emphasized a clear difference in their hiring approach. They bring on creative professionals for their skills and originality, not to simply follow machine-generated ideas. However, he added that these professionals are welcome to use new tools to streamline their work.
In April, Vincke explained that Larian Studios uses machine learning to handle repetitive and uninteresting tasks in game development.
He emphasized that people are the key to success, and highlighted the company’s significant investment in building a strong team and prioritizing a personal approach.
Despite the recent issues, Larian Studios has assured fans that future Divinity games will surpass Baldur’s Gate 3 in quality.
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2025-12-17 00:49