A Former GTA 6 Artist Has a Stark Warning About Gaming's Biggest New Trend

In a recent YouTube interview on the Kiwi Talkz podcast, former GTA 6 developer David O'Reilly shared his thoughts on the growing role of AI in game development - and he isn't exactly the biggest fan of the tech world's latest buzzword.

While O'Reilly acknowledges that AI has legitimate uses in automating certain repetitive tasks, he's quick to point out that the technology falls far short when it comes to creating the kind of quality content that players expect from AAA games.

It's a similar sentiment shared by Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick back in March, who explained that AI will supplement video game development and not necessarily replace humans in the industry.

David O'Reilly spent 12 years at Rockstar Games as an environment artist, contributing his talents to Grand Theft Auto 5 and Grand Theft Auto 6. Much like Obbe Vermeij, who believes that GTA 7 will cost significantly less to make due to AI, his extensive experience gives him unique insight into what actually goes into creating these virtual environments and why AI isn't the magic solution some people think it is.

According to O'Reilly, AI might be useful for time-consuming tasks like generating rough initial passes of terrain or handling vegetation placement. He explained that developers spend considerable time on repetitive processes where AI could potentially save time.

Populating otherwise empty wilderness with trees and shrubs is one thing. However, when it comes to creating environments that meet the quality standards players expect, O'Reilly believes AI simply isn't up to the task.

To paraphrase O'Reilly words, the technology might generate something that looks impressive at first glance, but achieving the level of detail and polish required for player-level quality would require so much human intervention and correction that developers might as well create it from scratch themselves.

What's especially concerning to O'Reilly is the current rush to implement AI across industries. He worries that companies are pushing to use AI as much as possible, resulting in subpar work that might not be immediately recognizable as flawed.

While O'Reilly acknowledges that AI technology will continue to improve and may find more applications in game development in the future, his core message is clear: human developers remain irreplaceable.

The environments in Rockstar's titles are renowned for their incredible attention to detail, atmospheric quality, and ability to create believable worlds that players want to explore. These qualities come from human creativity, artistic vision, and countless hours of careful crafting. You can't replicate these with AI.

Given Take-Two's stance on AI, it's unlikely that Rockstar will join the rest of the industry in relying on AI to help build the future of Grand Theft Auto.

GTA 6 is currently being made by multiple Rockstar studios, an all-hands-on-deck project that involves marquee names like Rockstar North and Rockstar San Diego with Rockstar India and Rockstar Australia also helping out, among others.

With so many human hands and a return-to-office mandate, it's safe to say that the incredible locations and highly detailed characters we've seen from the first and second GTA 6 trailer were largely the creations of human hands.

After spending eight years in development and a delay, GTA 6 will finally be available to play on May 26, 2026 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X.