The gaming community has been tense lately. Every time a major trailer drops, the same questions follow. Are those animations AI-generated? Do those streets look procedurally filled in?
The fear is not abstract. With generative AI spreading fast, the idea that massive games might lean on it to save time or cut costs has started to feel more like an expectation than a possibility.
Take-Two CEO Ends the Speculation
For GTA 6, that concern felt especially relevant. Expectations around the project are unusually high. Many fans started to wonder whether the game’s environments, characters, or systems would be shaped by generative AI instead of artists and designers.
The idea that one of gaming’s most detailed open worlds might be built using shortcuts was not taken lightly.
Strauss Zelnick, the CEO of Take-Two Interactive, stepped in to address the situation directly. He made it clear that Rockstar is not using generative AI for GTA 6.
The studio is not generating buildings with prompts, it is not filling out city blocks with automated tools, and it is not allowing AI to design content. Zelnick’s stance was precise. Technology has its place, but not at the core of Rockstar’s creative work.
He explained that Rockstar’s approach has always been driven by people. The company does not treat its flagship titles as products to be optimized.
Designed by Artists, Not By Algorithms
According to Zelnick, GTA 6 is being constructed by hand. Every part of the game world has been placed, refined, and tested by real people. It is not a random city shaped by pattern recognition. It is a curated environment, where every street and building serves a purpose.
That level of attention is what makes Rockstar maps feel distinct. They are not assembled for scale, they are built for meaning. Zelnick confirmed that this process is still in place and will remain a central part of Rockstar’s design philosophy.
Why Procedural Tools Are Not the Answer
Zelnick acknowledged that using AI or procedural systems could speed things up, but speed is not the goal. Rockstar is not trying to ship faster, it is trying to maintain quality. Procedural generation removes control. It introduces randomness in places where intention matters most.
In a Rockstar game, small details carry weight. A street corner might host a secret interaction. A rooftop might connect side missions. That kind of intentional layering does not happen through automation. It comes from designers who know what each piece is doing and why it exists.
Take-Two Does Use AI, Just Not for This
Zelnick pointed out that Take-Two has always embraced technology. The company runs hundreds of internal AI projects, using machine learning to improve testing, tools, and background processes. These systems help developers work more efficiently. They do not generate content that ends up in the player’s hands.
The message was clear. AI can assist, but it does not create. Zelnick believes that great entertainment comes from human creativity, not from automated output. Tools are welcome, but vision still has to come from people.
Impact Beyond Rockstar
This decision might affect how other studios think about their own development pipelines. Generative AI is expanding quickly, and some publishers are already integrating it into core production. Rockstar is showing that a major studio can stay committed to manual design and still move forward.
If GTA 6 releases to strong reviews and reception, that outcome will carry weight. It will suggest that audiences still respond to environments and systems shaped by people. And it will show that scale and polish can still be achieved without relying on automated content generation.