Humans in the Loop: AI-Assisted GMing in D&D
- Danny McKeever
- Mar 15
- 4 min read
AI is transforming how Game Masters (GMs) create, prepare, and run their campaigns. With tools that generate NPCs, flesh out worldbuilding, and provide creative prompts, AI can enhance the storytelling experience like never before.
But as AI becomes more advanced, a critical question remains: How much control should AI have in a D&D game? The concept of "humans in the loop" ensures that AI serves as a tool rather than a replacement. In the world of TTRPGs, the GM is the ultimate decision-maker, using AI to enhance—not dictate—the game’s narrative.
Let’s explore the role of AI in GMing, its benefits, challenges, and best practices for keeping humans at the center of the experience.
"Artificial intelligence is the new electricity." — Andrew Ng
1. The Many Roles of AI in GMing
AI can play multiple roles in a GM’s process, depending on how it is used:
Assistant
AI helps with session prep, encounter design, and tracking details, making it easier for GMs to focus on storytelling rather than logistics. It can generate stat blocks, suggest treasure hoards, or create balanced combat encounters.
Co-Creator
GMs can use AI to develop NPCs, world lore, item descriptions, and even player backstories. AI-generated content provides a foundation that the GM can tweak and refine.
Brainstorming Partner
Stuck on a plot twist? Need a fresh way to introduce a villain? AI can generate ideas that spur creativity, offering multiple solutions when a GM is facing writer’s block.
While AI can take on all of these roles, it still requires human oversight to ensure the story remains engaging and meaningful.
2. Why Humans Are Essential in AI-Assisted GMing
AI can provide detailed descriptions, dialogue, and mechanics, but it lacks emotional understanding and player intuition.
Here’s why humans must stay in the loop:
Narrative Consistency
A campaign isn’t a collection of random ideas—it’s an evolving story. AI can generate lore, but a human GM ensures everything fits together seamlessly.
Player Engagement
Players remember moments that feel personal. AI might generate interesting plot hooks, but a GM weaves those ideas into player-driven experiences that feel impactful.
Tailoring AI Outputs
AI-generated content is often generic or unspecific for it does not have the full context of the game. A GM must refine the details to ensure they match the campaign’s theme, tone, and player choices.
Ensuring Meaningful Choices
D&D is about player agency. AI can help craft scenarios, but the GM ensures that player decisions matter, shaping the world dynamically in response.
"Stories are the creative conversion of life itself into a more powerful, clearer, more meaningful experience. They are the currency of human contact." — Robert McKee
3. Challenges of AI-Assisted GMing (and How to Overcome Them)
While AI is a powerful tool, using it effectively requires overcoming some key challenges:
Learning to Communicate with AI
A major hurdle is understanding how to phrase prompts effectively. The better the prompt, the better the AI’s output. GMs should practice writing clear, specific instructions.
Avoiding Generic Outputs
AI-generated content can feel generic or uninspired. The best approach is to refine and layer AI outputs with personal touches.
Balancing AI Suggestions with GM Creativity
AI should not replace the GM’s imagination—it should enhance it. Treat AI-generated ideas as a starting point, not the final product.
Ensuring Player-Driven Stories
AI can help react to unexpected player choices, but it should never dictate outcomes. The GM must stay flexible and use AI as a tool for improvisation, not control.
4. Best Practices for Using AI as a GM
To integrate AI effectively, GMs should follow these best practices:
Start Small
Begin by using AI for descriptions, NPC names, or encounter hooks before relying on it for major story elements.
Iterate and Refine
Treat AI outputs as rough drafts. Adjust details, rewrite dialogue, and tweak motivations to fit the campaign.
Use AI for Prep, Not Just Live Play
While AI can generate real-time content, it’s best used before the session for brainstorming and worldbuilding.
Keep the Final Say
AI should never fully take over the game. The GM controls the tone, pacing, and narrative direction to ensure an engaging experience.
5. The Future of AI in TTRPGs
As AI advances, it will take on an even bigger role in:
Smarter Storytelling
Future AI will better understand story arcs, pacing, and character interactions, allowing for richer storytelling support helping to uplevel the storytelling capabilities of the GM.
Enhanced Decision-Making
AI could help develop a deeper engagement with the player and provide more meaningful and satisfying choices and outcomes, assisting GMs in managing complex branching narratives.
AI Becomes a Co-GM
From dynamic worldbuilding to real-time encounter adaptation, to richly detailed NPCs, and helping to run sessions, AI will continue to evolve, enhancing the GM’s toolkit rather than replacing it.
"Artificial intelligence will reach human levels by around 2029." — Ray Kurzweil
Conclusion
AI is a game-changer for D&D Game Masters, but it works best with human oversight.
The GM ensures that every session remains cohesive, emotionally engaging, and meaningful. AI may generate ideas, but the GM crafts the story.
As AI technology improves, it will continue to assist, co-create, and enhance storytelling—but the final say will always belong to the human behind the screen.
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