Постер GTA 6 / Rockstar
Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive, publisher of GTA 6 and many other well-known games, considers the definition «artificial intelligence» incorrect for the technology he refers to.
Zelnick said in a rather original way GamesIndustry about his attitude to artificial intelligence in games, which many are dissatisfied. They say you can’t deny something that doesn’t exist. This is just another digital technology that helps people create content.
«Artificial intelligence is an oxymoron, there’s no such thing,” Zelnick said. “Machine learning, machines don’t learn. Those are convenient ways to explain to human beings what looks like magic. The bottom line is that these are digital tools and we’ve used digital tools forever. I have no doubt that what is considered AI today will help make our business more efficient and help us do better work, but it won’t reduce employment,» Zelnick says.
According to the Take-Two CEO, the history of digital technologies shows that new technologies, on the contrary, increase employment, increase productivity, increase GDP — and the same will happen with the so-called AI. He says that the video game business will use AI and even become one of the leading sectors of its application. As for its limitations, Zelnick emphasized the importance of copyright compliance. He categorically stated that Take-Two «will not do it» — it was about intellectual property theft.
«Moreover, if we did, we couldn’t protect that, we wouldn’t be able to protect our own IP,” he explained. “So of course, we’re mindful of what technology we use to make sure that it respects others’ intellectual property and allows us to protect our own. Apart from that, I really can’t think of any new guardrails that need to be implemented.».
By the way, in the latest quarterly earnings report Take-Two GTA 6 will actually be released in the fall of 2025: «This calendar year is set to be one of the strongest in [the company’s] history as we plan to launch Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 on February 11, Mafia: The Old Country in the summer, Grand Theft Auto 6 in the fall, and Borderlands 4 in the fall».
However, recently Take-Two removes mod for GTA 5 that added AI to the game characters. Probably, this fits into the company’s understanding of copyright protection. Meanwhile NVIDIA creates a tool for implementing AI in games in a similar vein. Even Elon Musk is keen on using AI in games. Sony has allegedly already actively uses AI in their games.