Take-Two’s Head of AI Departs, Even Though Its CEO Was “Very Enthusiastic” About the Technology

After saying it was “laughable” that the technology could create games like Grand Theft Auto 6, Take-Two Interactive looks to have laid off its Head of Artificial Intelligence. Luke Dicken, who worked at Zynga as a data and strategic scientist before its acquisition, revealed on LinkedIn that he was no longer at the company.

“Folks, it’s truly disappointing that I have to share with you that my time with T2 – and that of my team – has come to an end. I will take the time in a week or so to make a more reflective post on my time with Zynga and T2, but for right now, I would appreciate your help in finding these awesome, talented folks new positions – especially in the current climate.”

Dicken added that the team had been “developing cutting-edge technology to support game development now for 7 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.”

While the reason they left – or were let go – is unknown, it’s all the more strange considering Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick’s stance on AI. Despite the above jab and clarifying that it has “zero part” in Grand Theft Auto 6, he’s “been enthusiastic since the very beginning” about it.

“This company’s products have always been built with machine learning and artificial intelligence. We’ve actually always been a leader in the space, and right now we have hundreds of pilots and implementations across our company, including within our studios. And we’re already seeing instances where generative AI tools are driving costs and time efficiencies.”

Of course, he would then note that there was “no evidence” that the tools “by themselves” could create “great entertainment properties” and “it won’t be the case in the future.” Perhaps with warnings of the AI bubble potentially bursting, Take-Two is getting ahead of the curve and eliminating positions which aren’t necessary. Then again, it could be a case of its current tools being sufficient and not wanting to innovate any further.

Whatever the case may be, Grand Theft Auto 6 is handcrafted by Rockstar North to the tune of apparently $2 billion (and counting) based on UK records. The open-world title has suffered two delays thus far and is launching on November 19th. However, a new trailer, if not other details, could potentially drop this Summer as part of its launch marketing.