The GTA 6 CEO is more pro-AI than you might think

If you have been gobbling up any GTA 6-related piece of news, then you probably saw that Take Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick did a big interview with Chris Dring of The Game Business.

But, with the headline "The notion that AI can make GTA is laughable", you would be forgiven for thinking he is completely anti-AI – however, he is more pro-AI than you might think.

Certainly, AI is a thorny subject, if the recent reveal of Nvidia’s DLSS 5 is anything to go by. We also just saw Crimson Desert developers Pearl Abyss apologise for the inclusion of "2D visual props" following the game's release.

According to the developers, these assets were "created as part of early-stage iteration using experimental AI generative tools" that enabled the team to "rapidly explore tone and atmosphere in the earlier phases of production", but added that their "intention has always been for any such assets to be replaced, following final work and review by our art and development teams".

Such recent cases have highlighted a growing trend that developers are increasingly relying on AI to speed up development.

During the interview, Zelnick says: "The history of our industry is that we’ve always used technology to create great entertainment," adding that "an advance in technology that allows us to do things better and quicker is great for us".

Zelnick goes on to ruminate on how Take-Two could use AI as a developmental aid: "Could you use AI tools more quickly to storyboard? Or to help you tease out plot points? Or tease out alternatives? Sure. Because these tools are based on massive data sets that are searchable and translatable into natural language. And that’s just more effective than the tools we’ve had before, like doing an internet search."

Doubling down, Zelnick goes on to assert that "Technology is almost always a positive", but admits that "there are detriments as well", adding that whilst humanity has "benefited from nuclear technology in so many ways", there have also been "horrific uses of nuclear technology in the Second World War".

There are, indeed, many environmental concerns surrounding the drive behind AI infrastructure, which currently requires huge amounts of water and resources in order to reach its potential usefulness. Many have argued that it is not so clear-cut what the benefits of AI will be compared with the negatives.

Recently, Larian CEO Swen Vincke came under fire for disclosing in a Bloomberg article that they are using generative AI as a development aid for the upcoming Divinity. Larian's last game, Baldur’s Gate 3, is heralded by many as the zenith of human-driven passion for games and art, but it took many years to get there.

Vincke responded on social media, defending his stance, and highlighted an article conducted with Gamespot in April 2025 that they use machine learning for "Tasks That Nobody Wants To Do".

Clearly though, people have very strong opinions about AI, but given the increasing cost and complexity of creating modern games, it may be a critical tool to avoid near-decade-long development cycles and relying on crunching to get games over the finish line, the latter of which Rockstar has been criticised for in the past.

The situation is already said to have improved in recent years, but two delays, which, Zelnick has already said was a "worthy investment", suggest this has had a knock-on effect for how long the game is taking to develop.

It remains to be seen, but it is more likely than not that developers will increasingly use AI tools, and it may result in a split in the market of those who do and those who proudly don’t. There will be a certain number of players who will vote with their wallets, but the tools could become more accepted as time goes on because developers won't want to risk being left behind by juggernauts such as Rockstar.

After the DLSS 5 fiasco, which prominently featured an AI-enhanced re-design of Grace Ashcroft, Capcom went on the record to say it "will not be implementing any AI-generated assets into our video game content", but the company will use AI tools to "improve efficiency" – exactly what Zelnick suggests.

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