AI Usage at a Glance
Jul 15, 2014
OtherPractice documented: Divinity: Original Sin 1 added a feature called AI Personalities that lets the game's second main character make dialogue decisions on their own based on a personality type chosen by the player. This is a traditional rule-based system — not machine learning — and was not carried forward to later Larian games in the same form.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Oct 23, 2020
ProductivityPractice documented: Larian built an internal automated testing system called World Tester that plays through game builds on its own — without a human at the keyboard — looking for crashes and performance problems. It generates bug reports automatically and only passes a build to human testers once it finds no major issues
Practice DocumentedView practice →Jun 15, 2023
Data AnalysisPractice documented: Larian collects anonymized data about how players interact with its games — such as where characters die, when players level up, and which weapons they equip — and uses this data to help improve game balance and design decisions. No evidence was found that machine learning is applied to this data; it appears to use standard data analysis tools.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Sep 22, 2023
OtherPractice documented: Larian's games use a custom-built combat system nicknamed "Jane" that controls how enemies think and act during turn-based battles. Jane is not machine learning — it works by running mathematical simulations of every possible action an enemy could take, scoring each one, and picking the highest-scoring option based on the enemy's assigned fighting style.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Oct 10, 2023
OtherPractice documented: Larian's games are built on a proprietary scripting language called Osiris that manages how the game world responds to player actions — triggering quests, changing how NPCs behave, and tracking the consequences of player choices. This is traditional rule-based programming, not machine learning or generative AI.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Mar 29, 2024
ProductivityPractice documented: CEO Swen Vincke has publicly discussed using AI tools to automatically check for plot holes and inconsistencies in Larian's complex branching storylines, and to speed up rough level design work. These ideas have been discussed in interviews but have not been confirmed as deployed tools in any shipped or actively developed product.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Apr 27, 2024
Creative GenPractice documented: A small group at Larian Studios tested generative AI text generation tools for research purposes during early development of Divinity, the studio's next RPG. Writing Director Adam Smith stated at a January 9, 2026 Reddit AMA that the tools scored '3/10 at best' and that no AI-generated text touches dialogue, journal entries, or any other written content in Divinity.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Dec 11, 2024
ModerationPractice documented: Larian's official Discord server, which has over 218,000 members, uses a widely available automated moderation tool called Dyno to filter spam, manage user roles, and log moderation actions. Human moderators handle all substantive decisions; Dyno handles routine automated tasks.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Apr 25, 2025
Creative GenPractice documented: Larian uses machine learning models to clean up and adapt motion capture data from human actors so it can be applied to game characters of wildly different body shapes — like a tiny halfling or a towering dragonborn. These models are trained only on data Larian owns, and their output appears in shipped games.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Apr 29, 2025
ProductivityPractice documented: Larian staff use generative AI tools to explore rough ideas and create visual references during the earliest stages of game development — similar to doing an image search online but using AI to generate the reference image instead of finding one. None of this output appears in shipped games.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Apr 29, 2025
ProductivityNew evidence: Larian's Swen Vincke says AI-obsessed studios won't 'have a competitive advantage', because those tools are 'gonna be what's available to everybody'
Evidence AddedView practice →Dec 16, 2025
Creative GenPractice documented: Larian's artists experimented with generative AI tools to explore rough visual ideas at the very earliest stage of concept art development — similar to how a designer might flip through reference books. After significant backlash from fans and former employees in December 2025, the studio formally banned generative AI from all concept art work in January 2026.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Dec 16, 2025
ProductivityNew evidence: Baldur's Gate, Divinity Dev CEO Responds To Backlash Over Generative AI Comments
Evidence AddedView practice →Dec 16, 2025
ProductivityNew evidence: Update: Larian CEO says any AI tool 'used well' is additive, not a replacement for skill or craft
Evidence AddedView practice →Jan 9, 2026
Creative GenNew evidence: Larian Studios Draws Harder Line On AI, Clarifies Stance In Reddit AMA
Evidence AddedView practice →Jan 9, 2026
Creative GenNew evidence: Larian Studios Draws Harder Line On AI, Clarifies Stance In Reddit AMA
Evidence AddedView practice →Jan 9, 2026
Creative GenPractice documented: Larian Studios announced in January 2026 that its performer contracts explicitly prohibit using voice actor recordings to train or build AI voice models. Machine Learning Director Gabriel Bosque confirmed this commitment at a Reddit AMA held January 9, 2026, and added that the studio does not currently feel comfortable including AI-generated voices in its games, even if an actor were to consent.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Jan 9, 2026
Creative GenNew evidence: Baldur’s Gate 3 Maker Says Next RPG Could Have Gen AI Assets As Long As They’re Created With ‘Data We Own’
Evidence AddedView practice →Jan 9, 2026
Creative GenNew evidence: Larian Studios Draws Harder Line On AI, Clarifies Stance In Reddit AMA
Evidence AddedView practice →Dec 9, 2026
Creative GenNew evidence: Baldur’s Gate 3 Maker Says Next RPG Could Have Gen AI Assets As Long As They’re Created With ‘Data We Own’
Evidence AddedView practice →Larian Studios announced in January 2026 that its performer contracts explicitly prohibit using voice actor recordings to train or build AI voice models. Machine Learning Director Gabriel Bosque confirmed this commitment at a Reddit AMA held January 9, 2026, and added that the studio does not currently feel comfortable including AI-generated voices in its games, even if an actor were to consent.
At a Reddit AMA on January 9, 2026, Machine Learning Director Gabriel Bosque confirmed that Larian's performer contracts explicitly prohibit using actor recordings to train or build AI voice models. Bosque noted the studio is aware of how sensitive it can be to artificially generate an actor's voice, and stated that even if an actor were willing to consent in exchange for compensation, Larian does not currently feel comfortable including AI-generated voices in its games. The AMA was held following fan concern over Larian's earlier exploration of generative AI tools for its upcoming game, Divinity.
Larian uses machine learning models to clean up and adapt motion capture data from human actors so it can be applied to game characters of wildly different body shapes — like a tiny halfling or a towering dragonborn. These models are trained only on data Larian owns, and their output appears in shipped games.
Larian's artists experimented with generative AI tools to explore rough visual ideas at the very earliest stage of concept art development — similar to how a designer might flip through reference books. After significant backlash from fans and former employees in December 2025, the studio formally banned generative AI from all concept art work in January 2026.
A small group at Larian Studios tested generative AI text generation tools for research purposes during early development of Divinity, the studio's next RPG. Writing Director Adam Smith stated at a January 9, 2026 Reddit AMA that the tools scored '3/10 at best' and that no AI-generated text touches dialogue, journal entries, or any other written content in Divinity.
Larian Studios announced in January 2026 that its performer contracts explicitly prohibit using voice actor recordings to train or build AI voice models. Machine Learning Director Gabriel Bosque confirmed this commitment at a Reddit AMA held January 9, 2026, and added that the studio does not currently feel comfortable including AI-generated voices in its games, even if an actor were to consent.
Larian built an internal automated testing system called World Tester that plays through game builds on its own — without a human at the keyboard — looking for crashes and performance problems. It generates bug reports automatically and only passes a build to human testers once it finds no major issues
Larian runs a dedicated machine learning research team based in Guildford, UK, focused on finding ways to apply AI to game development tools and processes. The lab does not create content that appears in games — it builds and evaluates technology for use across the studio's six global offices.
Larian staff use generative AI tools to explore rough ideas and create visual references during the earliest stages of game development — similar to doing an image search online but using AI to generate the reference image instead of finding one. None of this output appears in shipped games.
CEO Swen Vincke has publicly discussed using AI tools to automatically check for plot holes and inconsistencies in Larian's complex branching storylines, and to speed up rough level design work. These ideas have been discussed in interviews but have not been confirmed as deployed tools in any shipped or actively developed product.
Larian's games use a custom-built combat system nicknamed "Jane" that controls how enemies think and act during turn-based battles. Jane is not machine learning — it works by running mathematical simulations of every possible action an enemy could take, scoring each one, and picking the highest-scoring option based on the enemy's assigned fighting style.
Larian's games are built on a proprietary scripting language called Osiris that manages how the game world responds to player actions — triggering quests, changing how NPCs behave, and tracking the consequences of player choices. This is traditional rule-based programming, not machine learning or generative AI.
Divinity: Original Sin 1 added a feature called AI Personalities that lets the game's second main character make dialogue decisions on their own based on a personality type chosen by the player. This is a traditional rule-based system — not machine learning — and was not carried forward to later Larian games in the same form.
Have evidence about Larian Studios's AI practices? Submit a report.
Submit a report →AI Trace is free and nonprofit. Support our work
Larian uses machine learning models to clean up and adapt motion capture data from human actors so it can be applied to game characters of wildly different body shapes — like a tiny halfling or a towering dragonborn. These models are trained only on data Larian owns, and their output appears in shipped games.
Motion capture recordings from human actors contain noise and imprecision that must be cleaned before use. Larian's machine learning pipeline automates this cleaning, retargets the resulting animation to characters with different proportions, and can even generate motion for moments that were never captured on set. The system has been in use at least since Baldur's Gate 3's development and is confirmed for the upcoming Divinity title. All training data is proprietary to Larian.
Larian's artists experimented with generative AI tools to explore rough visual ideas at the very earliest stage of concept art development — similar to how a designer might flip through reference books. After significant backlash from fans and former employees in December 2025, the studio formally banned generative AI from all concept art work in January 2026.
According to a December 2025 Bloomberg interview, developers used generative AI to create early-stage visual references and rough compositions that human artists then replaced with original artwork. Art Director Alena Dubrovina clarified that Larian never intended to use AI to make final game assets, models, or base meshes. Following community outcry — including public statements from former Larian artists — CEO Swen Vincke announced at a January 2026 Reddit AMA that the studio had decided to stop using generative AI during concept art development entirely, so there could be "no discussion about the origin of the art."
