Take-Two CEO Dismisses All-AI ‘GTA’ Possibility,Cites Copyright Concerns adn Creative Limits
NEW YORK – Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick emphatically stated that an entirely AI-generated game comparable to Grand Theft Auto is currently impossible,and raised concerns about the legal protections for AI-created content. Speaking recently, Zelnick underscored the irreplaceable role of human creativity in game growth, particularly in crafting the immersive worlds central to Take-Two’s success.
The debate surrounding AI’s impact on creative industries has intensified recently, fueled by tools like OpenAI‘s Sora video generator – capable of producing hyperrealistic visuals – and a recent legal ruling highlighting the lack of copyright protection for AI-generated work. Zelnick pointed to this legal ambiguity, stating, “If you create work with AI, it is not protected by copyright.” This poses a significant challenge for the games industry, mirroring concerns in cinema and music regarding protecting original creations from being replicated by AI models trained on existing data.
Zelnick dismissed the notion of simply “pressing a button” to create a game like GTA,asserting that any AI-generated attempt would be “something very derivative.” He emphasized that artificial intelligence excels at analysis and prediction, but lacks the capacity for true innovation. “What we do at Take-Two is not based on old data,but on vision,” he explained.
While acknowledging AI’s potential for optimizing technical aspects of game development, Zelnick maintained that the design of believable and engaging universes requires a level of creativity algorithms cannot replicate. “AI is great at looking back. We create what does not yet exist,” he said. this philosophy has demonstrably benefited Take-Two, with eleven of its franchises exceeding five million copies sold at launch, and Grand Theft Auto V achieving $1 billion in sales within three days of its release.
With GTA 6 slated for release in May 2026, Take-Two remains committed to prioritizing human ingenuity. “Our teams seek to approach perfection every time,” Zelnick concluded, “and no AI can do that.”
