Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has rejected the suggestion that artificial intelligence will reduce employment in the video game industry.
Speaking during an interview on The David Rubenstein Show, the head of Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two was asked whether AI would put people in the industry out of work.
Zelnick responded that he did not believe it would, arguing that technological improvements increase productivity, support economic growth and ultimately drive employment.
The interview was recorded on 19 October and uploaded to YouTube earlier today.
Zelnick points to productivity and employment
To support his argument, Zelnick cited the growth of AI companies Anthropic and OpenAI alongside the US unemployment rate.
He said both businesses were generating billions of dollars in revenue, while unemployment remained a little above 4%, broadly where it had been three years earlier.
That comparison formed the basis of his argument about technology and jobs across the economy. He did not provide a forecast for employment specifically at Take-Two or its development studios.
The comments come as AI continues to spread through game development and publishing. PUG recently covered an analysis suggesting almost half of Steam’s October releases disclosed AI use.
Why he prefers the word technology
Zelnick also acknowledged that AI has become an uncomfortable label among players.
He said some consumers associate its use with lower-quality games, which has led him to favour the broader term technology when discussing advances in development.
While he expects those advances to influence much of Take-Two’s work, he said they must serve the company’s creative output.
“Our job is to make hits,” Zelnick said.
He also pointed to the games industry’s long history with artificial intelligence and machine learning. Those broad categories include systems that predate the current wave of generative AI tools.
His comments did not identify particular tools used by Rockstar or confirm generative AI content in GTA VI.
Zelnick has previously argued that AI could copy GTA without creating the next major hit. In this interview, he again placed the emphasis on whether technological advances help Take-Two produce successful entertainment.
