Don’t Expect AI To Invent the Next ‘Grand Theft Auto’, Says Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick

The impact of AI on developing and producing video games is “still limited,” according to Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick. Take-Two Interactive is renowned for publishing games such as “Grand Theft Auto,” “NBA 2K,” “Red Dead” and “Borderlands”.

In a recent interview with CNBC, Zelnick highlighted two key reasons why there is limited potential for using AI in game development.

The first factor, which is fuelling growing tension between AI firms and sectors like Hollywood, the music industry, and other creative fields, revolves around intellectual property.

“We have to protect our intellectual property, but more than that, we have to be mindful of others,” he told CNBC. “If you create intellectual property with AI, it’s not protectable.”

Zelnick noted that for game publishers such as Take-Two, using AI responsibly means ensuring the generated material complies with copyright regulations while also safeguarding people’s rights. “There are constraints,” he said.

However, the greater challenge in expanding AI’s role in game development lies in a core principle that underpins the company’s continued success.

“Let’s say there were no constraints [on AI]. Could we push a button tomorrow and create an equivalent to the ‘Grand Theft Auto’ marketing plan?” he said. “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.”

He highlighted that AI is “backward looking” since its capability depends on the analysis of old data.

He explained that AI outputs can sometimes seem original because they rely on predictive models, noting that “many, many, many things in life that are predictable based on data.”

Zelnick said that although predictive technologies might be useful for tackling tasks ranging from disease research to basic homework, crafting the rich, detailed worlds that define Take-Two’s games is a far more complex and distinctly human endeavour.

“Anything that involves backward-looking data computation, it’s really good for that and that applies to lots of things. What we do at Take-Two, anything that isn’t attached to that, it’s going to be really, really bad at,” he said.

There is no creativity that can exist by definition in any AI model, because it is data-driven,” the CEO added.

Take-Two’s flagship series, Grand Theft Auto, is gearing up for its next release in May 2026 and is expected to break new sales records. Zelnick mentioned that the last instalment, Grand Theft Auto V, generated around $1 billion (about Rs 8,873 crore as per the current exchange rate) in revenue within just three days of its debut back in 2013.