Take-Two CEO Says AI Can’t Match GTA’s Creativity: “You Wouldn’t End Up with Anything Very Good”

Grand Theft Auto 6 isn’t out yet, but fans are already curious about the future of the series. Many are wondering how AI might affect the development of future games like Grand Theft Auto 7.

Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick spoke about this topic in a recent interview in New York City with CNBC. He said he isn’t completely against AI, but he is doubtful about its ability to help with game creation. He also emphasized the importance of 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 discussing Grand Theft Auto specifically, Zelnick explained that AI cannot match the work of Rockstar Games.

“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 described AI as “backward looking,” meaning it works based on existing data. While this approach can solve certain problems, it falls short for creative projects like video games.

“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.”

Grand Theft Auto 6 is scheduled to launch on May 26, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5.

Zelnick’s caution about AI makes sense. GTA games are known for their originality, storytelling, and attention to detail—qualities that are difficult to reproduce with AI. AI might help with some tasks, but the heart of these games still comes from human creativity. What do you think about AI in game development? Share your thoughts in the comments.