{"id":1865883,"date":"2026-04-04T15:45:05","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T12:45:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1865883"},"modified":"2026-04-04T15:45:05","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T12:45:05","slug":"take-two-lays-off-ai-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1865883","title":{"rendered":"Take-Two lays off AI team"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">Take-Two lays off AI team<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">&#8220;It&#8217;s truly disappointing that my time with T2 &#8211; and that of my team &#8211; has come to an end.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/Lucia-Caminos-in-GTA-6.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Lucia Caminos in GTA 6. She is in a pool with a cocktail on the edge near her\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"Lucia-Caminos-in-GTA-6.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Rockstar<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Vikki Blake avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/1533038852.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"179\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Vikki Blake avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"1533038852.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"179\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/vikki-blake\">Vikki Blake<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Contributor<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-04-04T15:45:05+00:00\">April 4, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<div class=\"comments\">\n      <a class=\"comments__link comments-bubble\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/take-two-lays-off-ai-team?view=comments\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n          12 comments<br \/>\n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/companies\/take-two-interactive\">Take-Two Interactive<\/a>, the parent company of GTA developer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/companies\/rockstar-games\">Rockstar Games<\/a>, has reportedly laid off its AI team, including its head of AI.<\/p>\n<p>Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/gta-6-couldnt-be-made-by-ai-suggests-take-two-boss-there-is-no-creativity-that-can-exist-by-definition-in-any-ai-model\">has previously plainly stated<\/a> that AI is incapable of creativity of its own, but this is his strongest message yet that Take-Two&#8217;s approach to AI bucks an industry trend that has seen more and more studios <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/after-chasing-nfts-and-the-metaverse-square-enix-wants-generative-ai-to-do-70-of-its-qa-by-2027\">pivot to AI tools<\/a>, most recently at the cost of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/new-report-claims-kingdom-come-deliverance-2-studio-fired-translator-to-replace-them-with-ai-and-save-finances\">human translators<\/a> and human-made <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/fortnite-fans-are-saying-no-to-ai-slop-after-spotting-what-they-believe-are-ai-generated-images-in-game\">in-game artwork<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"GTA 6 (Grand Theft Auto 6) - Official Trailer 2\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sQEGy86F2gE?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/sQEGy86F2gE\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">GTA 6 (Grand Theft Auto 6) &#8211; Official Trailer 2<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>GTA 6 (Grand Theft Auto 6) &#8211; Official Trailer 2.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=sQEGy86F2gE\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s truly disappointing that I have to share with you that my time with T2 &#8211; and that of my team &#8211; has come to an end,&#8221; Dicken <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/feed\/update\/urn:li:activity:7445520539647131649\/\">wrote on LinkedIn <\/a>(thanks <a href=\"https:\/\/kotaku.com\/take-two-ai-zynga-layoffs-gta-2000684344\">Kotaku<\/a>). &#8220;I will take the time in a week or so to make a more reflective post on my time with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/companies\/zynga\">Zynga<\/a> and T2, but for right now, I would appreciate your help in finding these awesome talented folks new positions,&#8221; before sharing some of the skills of his team.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve been developing cutting-edge technology to support game development now for [seven] years. These folks know how to match innovation and novel problem-solving approaches with strong product design chops to create systems that empower people throughout the development workflow.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Before leading Take-Two&#8217;s AI efforts, Dicken ended his decade-long tenure at Zynga as senior director of applied AI. He has now established LuDic AI, a consulting service &#8220;around the best-practice use of AI technologies for games-adjacent verticals&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>As for Zelnick? &#8220;Every entertainment business that was supposed to be destroyed by new technology hasn&#8217;t been,&#8221; he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/take-two-ceo-rejects-notion-that-ai-can-create-a-gta-6-sized-hit\">said<\/a> recently. &#8220;When I was a little kid, calculators came along and parents were all up in arms that now schools would not teach kids math[s] because they had access to calculators. Well, people are learning math[s] today, even though there are calculators.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Zelnick is very much an outlier, though. Many other game companies, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/pubg-and-inzoi-publisher-krafton-declares-itself-an-ai-first-company-placing-ai-at-the-centre-of-problem-solving\">Krafton<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/after-chasing-nfts-and-the-metaverse-square-enix-wants-generative-ai-to-do-70-of-its-qa-by-2027\">Square Enix<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/ai-is-the-very-core-of-our-business-says-ea-ceo\">EA<\/a>, and more, have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/over-half-of-japanese-game-companies-are-using-ai-in-development-states-report-from-tokyo-games-show-organiser\">invested heavily in the new tech<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/companies\/take-two-interactive\">Take-Two Interactive<\/a>, the parent company of GTA developer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/companies\/rockstar-games\">Rockstar Games<\/a>, has reportedly laid off its AI team, including its head of AI.<\/p>\n<p>Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/gta-6-couldnt-be-made-by-ai-suggests-take-two-boss-there-is-no-creativity-that-can-exist-by-definition-in-any-ai-model\">has previously plainly stated<\/a> that AI is incapable of creativity of its own, but this is his strongest message yet that Take-Two&#8217;s approach to AI bucks an industry trend that has seen more and more studios <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/after-chasing-nfts-and-the-metaverse-square-enix-wants-generative-ai-to-do-70-of-its-qa-by-2027\">pivot to AI tools<\/a>, most recently at the cost of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/new-report-claims-kingdom-come-deliverance-2-studio-fired-translator-to-replace-them-with-ai-and-save-finances\">human translators<\/a> and human-made <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/fortnite-fans-are-saying-no-to-ai-slop-after-spotting-what-they-believe-are-ai-generated-images-in-game\">in-game artwork<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"GTA 6 (Grand Theft Auto 6) - Official Trailer 2\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sQEGy86F2gE?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/sQEGy86F2gE\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">GTA 6 (Grand Theft Auto 6) &#8211; Official Trailer 2<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>GTA 6 (Grand Theft Auto 6) &#8211; Official Trailer 2.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=sQEGy86F2gE\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s truly disappointing that I have to share with you that my time with T2 &#8211; and that of my team &#8211; has come to an end,&#8221; Dicken <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/feed\/update\/urn:li:activity:7445520539647131649\/\">wrote on LinkedIn <\/a>(thanks <a href=\"https:\/\/kotaku.com\/take-two-ai-zynga-layoffs-gta-2000684344\">Kotaku<\/a>). &#8220;I will take the time in a week or so to make a more reflective post on my time with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/companies\/zynga\">Zynga<\/a> and T2, but for right now, I would appreciate your help in finding these awesome talented folks new positions,&#8221; before sharing some of the skills of his team.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve been developing cutting-edge technology to support game development now for [seven] years. These folks know how to match innovation and novel problem-solving approaches with strong product design chops to create systems that empower people throughout the development workflow.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Before leading Take-Two&#8217;s AI efforts, Dicken ended his decade-long tenure at Zynga as senior director of applied AI. He has now established LuDic AI, a consulting service &#8220;around the best-practice use of AI technologies for games-adjacent verticals&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>As for Zelnick? &#8220;Every entertainment business that was supposed to be destroyed by new technology hasn&#8217;t been,&#8221; he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/take-two-ceo-rejects-notion-that-ai-can-create-a-gta-6-sized-hit\">said<\/a> recently. &#8220;When I was a little kid, calculators came along and parents were all up in arms that now schools would not teach kids math[s] because they had access to calculators. Well, people are learning math[s] today, even though there are calculators.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Zelnick is very much an outlier, though. Many other game companies, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/pubg-and-inzoi-publisher-krafton-declares-itself-an-ai-first-company-placing-ai-at-the-centre-of-problem-solving\">Krafton<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/after-chasing-nfts-and-the-metaverse-square-enix-wants-generative-ai-to-do-70-of-its-qa-by-2027\">Square Enix<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/ai-is-the-very-core-of-our-business-says-ea-ceo\">EA<\/a>, and more, have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/over-half-of-japanese-game-companies-are-using-ai-in-development-states-report-from-tokyo-games-show-organiser\">invested heavily in the new tech<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Take-Two lays off AI team &#8220;It&#8217;s truly disappointing that my time with T2 &#8211; and that of my team &#8211; has come to an end.&#8221; Image credit: Rockstar News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on April 4, 2026 12 comments Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of GTA developer Rockstar Games, has reportedly laid [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-1865883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1865883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1865883"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1865883\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1865883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1865883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1865883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}