Take-Two Interactive is said to have laid off its AI team

Take-Two Interactive has reportedly undergone a restructuring process which led to the elimination of its entire artificial intelligence team.

Former AI head, Luke Dicken, announced on LinkedIn that his tenure with the parent company of Rockstar and Zynga has concluded.

Dicken reflected on their work: "For seven years, we've been creating leading-edge technology to aid game development. The team is skilled at combining innovation with practical design to construct systems enhancing the development workflow."

Jason Leon, the former senior director of AI development, corroborated this on LinkedIn: "Over the last six years, after initially leading Zynga's central tech game services, I spent two years expanding Take-Two's AI team. We leveraged cutting-edge technologies to tackle practical game development challenges."

Leon acknowledged that the realignment of organizational priorities led to the team's dissolution.

Other team members confirmed they were affected by the changes, including former business operations manager Savannah S. and senior engineering manager Nadine Perez.

GamesIndustry.biz has reached out to Take-Two for their remarks on the issue.

CEO Strauss Zelnick discussed their approach to AI with GamesIndustry.biz, stating that the company "continues to embrace AI extensively."

Zelnick expressed his enthusiasm for AI: "From the start, our products have integrated machine learning and artificial intelligence. We have been pioneers in this field, currently engaging in numerous pilots and implementations company-wide, including within our studios. These tools are demonstrating cost reduction and time efficiency."

However, he emphasized that tools alone cannot create exceptional entertainment: "There's no proof that tools alone result in great entertainment properties. Specifically regarding Grand Theft Auto 6, Generative AI doesn't contribute to Rockstar Games' creations. Their environments are meticulously crafted, distinguishing them as they are constructed piece by piece, rather than being procedurally generated."

Conclusively, Zelnick remarked, "Tools are not a substitute for creativity, nor are they the projects themselves; they are distinct elements."