So here’s my 2c I’ve said before that people need to get off Pinterest and Artstation when collecting reference. So many games look “generic” because concept art has become self referencing and inbred. I always advocate for finding your own primary reference. So back to AI. I hate seeing AI in mood boards. It’s of no value to me. There’s no culture, no consideration, no material reference. If I go to a museum, I see objects that expand my understanding of human creativity and production. AI can’t even get wood knurling right. Concept artists get shit for looking at other artists. But when we do that we can understand the other artist and their work. There’s a story behind the craft. We can see the individual ingredients and adopt only what we need. With AI we see only mush. As an extreme example I design guns. AI does not understand how guns work. How they’re machined. The details are lost. What it provides is nothing I can learn more about. To someone who knows nothing about guns you might be fooled enough into believe it’s correct. Your knowledge is now tainted. It’s a poor facsimile and it’s disappointing to see AI being used this way. I actually think using it to render concept is more acceptable than this, as at least the important part, the idea, is human. Whereas rendering could just also be done with photo bashing or whatever. Either way Larian communicated this poorly.

AI art is overrated. That’s what the haters keep saying. We live in a time where people who were locked out for decades can finally build. • Not because gates opened. • But because AI broke them. How can someone be against a tool that gives real people a real chance to create, think, and grow?