Game Concept Artists Report That Generative AI Complicates Their Workflow

Generative AI has been at the forefront of the conversation for the past few years, with companies becoming divisive on how to implement it, if at all. Larian CEO Swen Vincke recently kicked a hornet's nest after saying the studios' developers use generative AI tools for things like exploring new game ideas, developing concept art, creating placeholder text, and for PowerPoint presentations. After a quick retraction and explanation, along with sharing that the studio was in fact growing its pool of artists rather than shrinking, Vincke has admitted that Larian uses AI for tasks nobody wants to do, but does AI—even at the concept art stage—help actual concept artists?

According to a handful of video game concept artists, it can actually make things harder. Talking to Edmond Tran from This Week In Video Games, artists said that it complicates their workflow and doesn't help them creatively. The feedback suggests that while AI tools may seem helpful on the surface, they're creating additional challenges for professional artists.

I'm seeing more and more clients generate something approximating their desired outcome and essentially asking me to make 'something like this,' said Paul Scott Canavan, an artist who has worked as an art director and concept artist for projects like Destiny 2, Heroes of the Storm, Guild Wars 2, and Netflix's The Witcher. It sucks. This practice absolutely invalidates the entire creative process, in my opinion, and makes my job harder and more frustrating. The job of an illustrator or concept artist is to draw from their years of experience to interpret a brief in a creative way.

Another freelance designer and illustrator, Kim Hu, who worked as the lead artist on Rollerdrome (and possible the world's biggest fan of Marvel's Taskmaster), says even starting with AI images robs you of discovery, as it will likely more or less give you exactly what you asked of it, and says that looking at the real world and references helps with creation and maybe adds on something you didn't think of before, informing and branching out your ideas further. She adds that going down these accidental rabbit holes is a pivotal step in concept and world-building for her.

A senior concept artist, who asked to remain anonymous due to their position at a major game developer, told Tran that studio leadership now asks them to work from AI-generated reference material. They said that this often requires reverse engineering where the pieces of the image composite came from, and working off what I'm able to find through careful searches on the internet—things like hairstyles, clothing, props, and so on.

Beyond protecting the company from potential legal risk, particularly given that the project involves a well-known IP, the artist said they feel a principled obligation to take on this extra work for the benefit of their colleagues. When I'm putting a design package together for a 3D artist, either in-house or offsite, they need actual references they can use instead of wasting time deciphering what's in the output image 'references.' I feel responsibility for the others I work with on my projects—this is a normal part of my job.

AI implementation has polarized the industry, with some studio heads more than willing to move forward with it. Netflix was even looking for an AI leader for its games department over the fall, and at the beginning of the year, Microsoft invested $80 billion—while still admitting that the tech will lead to job losses. This investment demonstrates the significant financial commitment companies are making to AI technology, even as concerns about its impact on employment continue to grow.

The disconnect between how companies view AI tools and how artists experience them highlights a fundamental tension in the industry. While executives may see AI as a way to streamline production and reduce costs, artists are finding that these tools create additional work and compromise the creative process that makes their work valuable in the first place.

The issue extends beyond individual workflow challenges to broader concerns about creativity and artistic integrity. When clients provide AI-generated images as reference material, they're essentially asking artists to replicate something that may have been created by combining elements from copyrighted works without proper attribution. This creates both legal and ethical complications that artists must navigate.

As the gaming industry continues to grapple with AI implementation, the voices of concept artists provide crucial perspective on how these tools actually function in practice. Their experiences suggest that while AI may seem like a shortcut, it often creates more problems than it solves, particularly when it comes to maintaining creative quality and protecting intellectual property rights.

The ongoing debate about AI in game development reflects larger questions about the role of technology in creative industries. As companies invest billions in AI development, the experiences of working artists serve as an important reminder that technological advancement doesn't always translate to improved workflows or better creative outcomes.