Dan Houser on AI, creative work, and why he left Rockstar
Dan Houser believes the best creative work will remain human-led. Speaking about his debut novel A Better Paradise on BBC Radio 4, the Rockstar Games co-founder said large language model outputs feel "generic" and that "in most areas, the future of quality writing is writing by humans."
His stance is simple: AI can spark ideas, but it doesn't replace taste, lived experience, or the ability to make hard creative calls. "It can sometimes produce interesting random things, but it's quite generic, the level of content it creates."
Why he walked away from Rockstar
Houser left Rockstar in 2020 after decades shaping Grand Theft Auto and other franchises. The reason: scale and stamina.
"The projects are really long and tough and take a long time to make," he said. With thousands of lines of dialogue and countless moving parts, the work consumed years at a time. "I didn't know if I had another one of those games in me."
AI's place in the process
Houser doesn't dismiss AI outright. He views it as a tool that can produce sparks, not finished work. Earlier this week, he said AI is "not as useful as some companies would have you believe."
For creatives, the takeaway is clear: use AI where speed helps-drafts, references, variations-but keep your taste in the driver's seat. Your job is to choose, refine, and say no to average.
Is the games industry a good place to work?
Rockstar recently faced allegations of union-busting after firing staff who were part of a worker-run Discord. The company denied those claims, and offices were picketed in response.
Asked whether the industry is a good place to build a career, Houser answered "fundamentally, yes." He added that experiences vary by company, and while no place is perfect, his view is that most people find it positive and supportive most of the time.
What creatives can use right now
- Use AI to explore options; use your judgment to select what's worth keeping.
- Protect long-form projects with boundaries-big work takes years and total focus.
- Keep your craft at the center: voice, taste, and standards are your advantage.
- If you work in games, ask hard questions about culture, support, and timelines before you commit.
Where Houser is focused now
After leaving Rockstar in 2020, he founded Absurd Ventures in 2021 and officially announced it in 2023, signaling a shift from massive game cycles to new storytelling formats.
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