As is their reputation, it did not take long for Rockstar Games to swing into action. Mere hours after Google's Project Genie wiped nearly 10% off Take-Two Interactive's market value, the company is apparently responding with the tried and true method: by issuing DMCA takedown notices. Multiple videos showing AI-generated Grand Theft Auto-style worlds created with Project Genie are being taken down following what seems to be copyright claims from Take-Two.
The videos in question used Google's AI tool to generate interactive 3D environments that resembled Grand Theft Auto 5 or Grand Theft Auto 6, complete with drivable city streets and open-world exploration. The message from Take-Two is clear: AI might pretend to threaten our entire industry, but we still own GTA, and we're going to protect that IP even if it's being aped by content generated by algorithms.
Take-Two has a long, well-documented history of copyright enforcement. The company has issued DMCA takedowns against GTA mods, browser ports, and VR adaptations. With AI, Take-Two's MO appears to be that if it looks like GTA, sounds like GTA, or uses anything resembling GTA assets, they will shut it down. The fact that Grand Theft Auto: Vice City won't enter the public domain until 2097 means Take-Two has nearly seven decades left to enforce this position.
