AI has become a major part of gaming graphics, with features like Nvidia’s DLSS and AMD’s FSR often dominating performance discussions. In fact, one of the biggest advantages of Nvidia’s recently unveiled RTX 50 series compared to its predecessor is the addition of DLSS 4, particularly its Multi Frame Generation technology. This shows that AI is set to play a significant role in game graphics and development moving forward, or as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang puts it, will “reinvigorate the video game industry.“

In a recent interview with GameSpot, Swen Vincke, founder and CEO of Larian Studios, the team behind Baldur’s Gate 3, was asked whether using AI might help shorten development timelines, to which he replied, “It is a naive thing to think that it [AI] will shorten development cycles.”

AI is a creative aid, not just a time saver

Swen went on to explain that the reason he doesn’t believe AI will shorten development times is because, while it might make certain tasks faster, it will also expand what developers are capable of doing. In other words, instead of reducing workload, AI will likely encourage teams to aim higher and do more. He also says that using AI will inspire new ideas and creative possibilities that we haven't even thought of yet. It will also help automate parts of the job that people “don’t want to work on”

“I think that it’s an age-old truth; if you give a developer two years, they’ll take three. So the same thing will be the case here with what you’re going to give them in terms of abilities to do stuff. If they have the ability to do things faster, they’ll just do more, which is what you want actually. Also, that’s why I think it will improve the state-of-the-art in terms of games that we’re going to see. You’re going to see more and more things, but they will be used in creative ways that we haven’t even imagined yet.”

Swen Vincke on GameSpot

That said, one of the more recent uses of AI in gaming is with NPCs that you can have full conversations with, helping create characters capable of interacting with you in a much more intelligent way. On top of that, AMD has also mentioned having discussions with game developers about leveraging AI for game world creation. However, the use of AI in games hasn’t been met with the most positive reception, as seen with the apparent use of AI-generated art in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Microsoft's new Copilot AI “gaming coach”.

Overall, it seems as if Larian Studios is embracing AI in the right way. Automate the boring stuff and give its developers more time to work on what they do best: being creative.

About the Author

Hassam Nasir

Hassam boasts over seven years of professional experience as a dedicated PC hardware reviewer and writer.