Baldur's Gate 3 Director Says It Would Be 'Irresponsible' Not To Experiment With AI

Swen Vincke, cofounder of Larian Studios, has followed up on his earlier statements regarding the company's approach to artificial intelligence after they sparked considerable debate. He plans to address fan concerns in detail during an AMA session next year.

Vincke posted on X Thursday, stating, "Our successes come from empowering people to work in their own way and bring the best out of their skill & craft, so that we can make the best RPGs we can possibly make. In that context, it would be irresponsible for us not to evaluate new technologies. That said, the reality is a bit more complicated. our processes are always evolving, and where they are not efficient or fail to align with who we are, we will make changes."

This statement comes after Larian faced backlash for its experimentation with generative AI. Vincke had previously told Bloomberg that the studio was using AI for placeholder text, meeting presentations, and concept art references. He emphasized that AI was not intended to undermine human creativity and would not appear in finished products like the upcoming RPG sequel, Divinity.

That said, the reality is a bit more complicated. many fans expressed disappointment and concern. Their worries stemmed from ethical considerations about AI's reliance on existing artists' work and the potential for even minimal AI integration to negatively impact Larian's critically acclaimed games.

Vincke responded to the criticism on X, stating, "Holy fuck guys we’re not ‘pushing hard’ for or replacing concept artists with AI. We’ve hired creatives for their talent, not for their ability to do what a machine suggests, but they can experiment with these tools to make their lives easier.”

Despite this, the controversy persisted. Vincke updated his social media profile to indicate he was listening to feedback and planning a further response. While his latest statement doesn't retract the commitment to explore AI's potential benefits for Larian's design process, he has promised to provide more context about his views on AI and the studio's specific usage in a Reddit AMA in January.

Vincke's full statement reads:

It’s been a week since we announced Divinity, our next RPG, and a lot has become lost in translation.

Larian’s DNA is agency. Everything we work towards is to the benefit of our teams, games, and players. A better work day, and a better game. Our successes come from empowering people to work in their own way and bring the best out of their skill & craft, so that we can make the best RPGs we can possibly make.

In that context, it would be irresponsible for us not to evaluate new technologies. That said, the reality is a bit more complicated. our processes are always evolving, and where they are not efficient or fail to align with who we are, we will make changes.

To give you more insight, we’ll do an AMA featuring our different departments after the holiday break, in which you’ll get the opportunity to ask us any questions you have about Divinity and our dev process directly.

We’ll announce the date in the new year. In the meantime, I wish you all happy holidays!

*Update 12/18/2025, 2:10 p.m. ET: Added more context.*