Take-Two Interactive has reportedly parted ways with its head of artificial intelligence, Luke Dicken, alongside an unspecified portion of his team. The move comes just two months after CEO Strauss Zelnick told investors the publisher behind Grand Theft Auto 6 was “actively embracing generative AI,” signaling a potential pivot in the company’s technological strategy.
Dicken, who joined the company in January of last year following a decade-long tenure at Zynga, confirmed the departure in a social media post. The reduction in force marks a significant shift for the gaming giant, which has historically maintained a cautious public stance on the role of machine learning in creative development.
Leadership Change at Take-Two
Luke Dicken had been tasked with spearheading Take-Two’s generative AI strategy, a role that evolved from his previous work as a data and strategic scientist at Zynga. Take-Two acquired Zynga, the mobile gaming developer, in 2022, bringing Dicken into the broader corporate fold. According to his professional profile, his mandate included exploring the intersection of AI and mobile games, as well as leading initiatives involving large language models (LLMs) and diffusion models.
Less than 18 months into his leadership role, Dicken announced that his time with the company had concluded. In a post on LinkedIn, he expressed regret over the situation while highlighting the capabilities of the team members affected.
“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,” Dicken wrote.
Dicken noted that he intended to share a more reflective post about his tenure at a later date. For now, he stated his focus was on supporting the colleagues impacted by the shakeup. He described the team as experts in matching innovation with product design to create systems that empower development workflows, noting they had been developing cutting-edge technology to support game development for seven years.
The exact number of employees affected by the layoff remains unconfirmed, and Take-Two Interactive has not issued a detailed public statement regarding the specific reasons for the department’s reduction.
Contradictory Signals on AI Strategy
The layoffs arrive during a period of apparent contradiction in Take-Two’s public messaging regarding artificial intelligence. For years, CEO Strauss Zelnick has been vocal about his skepticism regarding generative AI’s ability to drive creativity in entertainment.
In March 2025, Zelnick stated he was not worried about AI creating hits, characterizing the technology as “backwards-looking” because it relies on existing data. Later that year, following market reactions to new AI world models, he reiterated that there was “no evidence” generative tools could create great entertainment independently. He specifically pointed out that “generative AI has zero part in what Rockstar Games is building” with the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6.
Yet, the tone shifted in 2026. During a recent investor call following the company’s third-quarter financial report, Zelnick emphasized a more enthusiastic exploration of the technology. “We’re actively embracing generative AI,” he said, adding that Take-Two had “hundreds of pilots and implementations across our company, including with our studios.”
The decision to reduce the AI team shortly after these comments suggests a possible recalibration of those pilot schemes or a change in how the company intends to integrate the technology moving forward.
Broader Industry Context
The contraction at Take-Two mirrors a wider trend of volatility within the artificial intelligence sector. Despite the initial boom, several major technology firms have recently adjusted their AI ambitions amid questions about profitability and practical application.
Last month, OpenAI discontinued its Sora video generation app, coinciding with reports that Disney had pulled out of a $1 billion investment deal. Oracle, a key infrastructure player in the AI boom, was reported to be laying off approximately 10,000 people earlier this week. These moves indicate that even industry darlings are facing pressure to demonstrate tangible returns on heavy AI investments.
For Take-Two, the path forward remains unclear. While the company maintains hundreds of active pilots, the departure of its AI leadership suggests a complex internal reassessment of how generative tools fit into the future of game development.
Investors and industry analysts will be watching for the next official update from Take-Two Interactive, likely during the next scheduled earnings call, to see if the company clarifies its long-term roadmap for artificial intelligence integration.
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