Take-Two Interactive has apparently cut jobs within its AI team

Reports indicate that Take-Two Interactive has dissolved its AI department amid a restructuring process.

Luke Dicken, formerly in charge of AI at the company, revealed the termination of his role through a LinkedIn post. He had been with the parent organization of Rockstar and Zynga.

Dicken stated, "For seven years, we've created innovative technologies to advance game development. Our team has combined cutting-edge solutions and strong product design to enhance our development processes."

Jason Leon, previously a senior director for AI development, remarked, "Throughout the past six years, initially leading Zynga's game services and later expanding Take-Two's AI team, we pushed boundaries by incorporating new technology into game development."

He continued, "However, as management’s priorities shifted, my team and I were impacted."

Several team members also mentioned being affected by the job cuts. Take-Two did not provide a statement to GamesIndustry.biz.

Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two, spoke with GamesIndustry.biz about their AI strategy, stating they are "continuously embracing AI."

Zelnick expressed, "Since our inception, our products have integrated machine learning and AI. We remain a leader in this domain and currently have numerous pilots and implementations within our company. Generative AI tools are indeed helping us reduce costs and time."

However, he stressed that, "Tools by themselves don't produce outstanding entertainment. That's not the case for now or the future. In the context of GTA 6, Generative AI doesn't play a role in Rockstar Games' vision. Their environments are meticulously crafted, unlike procedurally generated ones."

He added, "Tools aren't substitutes for creativity, nor are they the projects themselves; they serve different purposes."