Take-Two boss says if the Grand Theft Auto franchise is threatened by AI

In a recent interview, Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick has discussed the rising concern of generative AI tools being used to develop games, and how that relates to the upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI.

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Zelnick sat down with The Game Business where he was asked about his thoughts on generative AI tools making their way into the video game industry. According to Zelnick, these GenAI tools are nothing but that, tools, and that developers should approach them as such. Zelnick further explained that while these tools are useful they aren't a one-click solution to creating a good game.

The CEO of the company that publishes the Grand Theft Auto franchise added that he was "stunned" by the market's reaction to these new GenAI tools being unveiled, presumably NVIDIA's recent unveiling of DLSS 5, which has caused a defiant reaction from many within the gaming community and industry.

"The history of our industry is that we've always used technology to create great entertainment. So, an advance in technology that allows us to do things better and quicker is great for us. I was kind of stunned by the market's reaction, because its reaction was somehow seeing it as a threat to what we do, when it's quite obvious that creation tools are beneficial for our industry," said Zelnick

Zelnick recognized the threat many are calling out when it comes to Gen AI tools being used to create entertainment, saying the thought that entertainment companies will be replaced by AI tools and the initiative of an everyday person "doesn't stand to reason".

Adding, "These tools may help you create assets, but that won't help you create hits. There are loads of assets out there now. It doesn't matter if you push a button to create an asset, or it takes you six weeks, at the end of the day, you have an asset...you can create assets that might look like a big release, that might look like NBA 2K or EA Sports FC. But creating a hit of that magnitude is a completely different animal and does require human engagement and creativity."

Zelnick was asked if a tool such as Google's Project Genie could be used by an individual or a small team to create a hit title such Grand Theft Auto, Zelnick responded, "Not even the littlest bit."

"There's already plenty of technology out there that allow people to create video games, and as a result, thousands of video games are created every year, and yet the hits all cluster among the large entertainment companies, almost entirely, and now and then, an indie, which is generally speaking well-funded and pretty robust in and of itself."

"The notion that somehow new tools would allow an individual to push a button and generate a hit and bring it to millions of consumers around the world, it's a laughable notion. It's just never been the case with entertainment. Right now [in music] there are programs that allow you to put out a prompt and get a professionally recorded song spit back out at you. It sounds like a song, but I defy you to listen to it more than once. It's great to send as a greeting card to your partner on their birthday, but that's about it," said Zelnick