Take-Two CEO Talks AI in the Future of GTA Franchise: “You Wouldn’t End Up with Anything Very Good”
Grand Theft Auto 6 hasn’t even come out yet, but people are already curious about what’s next for the series. One big question is how AI might change the development of future games like Grand Theft Auto 7.
This week in New York City, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick spoke about AI in game development during an interview with CNBC.
He said he’s not completely against using AI, but he’s doubtful about how much it can actually contribute to making games. He also raised concerns about protecting the company’s work.
“We have to protect our intellectual property, but more than that, we have to be mindful of others,” Zelnick said. “If you create intellectual property with AI, it’s not protectable.”
When asked specifically about the Grand Theft Auto series, Zelnick explained that even without restrictions, AI couldn’t match what Rockstar Games has been able to create.
“Let’s say there were no constraints [on AI],” he said. “Could we push a button tomorrow and create an equivalent to the Grand Theft Auto marketing plan? The answer is no. A, you can’t do that yet, and B, I am of the view that you wouldn’t end up with anything very good. You end up with something pretty derivative.”
Zelnick added that AI is mainly “backward looking,” meaning it relies on existing data to make predictions. While this can be useful in some areas, it doesn’t work for the kind of creative work Take-Two does.
“Anything that involves backward-looking data compute, it’s really good for that and that applies to lots of things,” he said. “What we do at Take-Two, anything that isn’t attached to that, it’s going to be really, really bad at.”
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Grand Theft Auto 6 is set to launch on May 26, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, giving players plenty of time to think about what the future of the franchise might look like, and how much of it AI will actually touch.
It makes sense that Take-Two is cautious about AI. The GTA series is known for its creativity, storytelling, and attention to detail, and those are hard to replicate with technology alone. What do you think about AI in game development? Share your thoughts in the comments.
