Larian Studios CEO Sven Vincke has clarified the developer's stance on using artificial intelligence in the creative process after backlash against recent interview with Bloomberg.
In a message to social mediaVincke said Larian “doesn't replace concept artists with artificial intelligence” and that the developer uses it “to explore things.”
“I didn't say we were using it to develop concept art. Artists do that,” he said. “We use artificial intelligence tools to study references in the same way we use Google and art books.
“In the very early stages of ideation, we use it as a rough sketch of the composition, which we replace with original concept art. There is no comparison.”
Vincke concluded, “We hire creatives for their talent, not their ability to do what the machine suggests, but they can experiment with these tools to make their lives easier.”
IN original interviewBloomberg's Jason Schreier wrote about how Larian has been “persistently pushing generative artificial intelligence” under Vincke's leadership.
He noted that Larian uses artificial intelligence tools “to explore ideas, flesh out PowerPoint presentations, develop concept art, and write filler text.”
Schreier has since shared a rough transcript of his conversation with Vincke so that “people can see the full context and judge for themselves if they think Larian's position has been misrepresented.”
In the transcript, Vincke said using artificial intelligence tools speeds up production because it allows for broader experimentation.
“It's not like their dialogue suddenly started writing faster,” he said. “On the contrary, you don't see script writing happening any faster. What's simply happening is that more things are being done. […] you'll still have to change it yourself.”
Schreier noted that it didn't seem to be effective, to which Vincke responded, “It's a technology-based industry, so you try things. You can't afford not to try something because if someone finds the golden egg and you don't use it, you're dead in this industry.”
Towards the end of the excerpt, Schreier noted the disadvantages of generative AI, such as its “toxicity, controversy for players, artists, [and] for creative people, unlike other technologies.”
Vincke replied: “I think that in due time you could find the same argument for many things. Part of this job is making sure you are competitive and up to date with the technology. Therefore, if you don't look at the current state, you will end up regretting it. It will be even worse for developers.”
