GTA Creator Dan Houser Reveals His Favorite Character and Says LLMs Will Make “Cheap, Decent Stuff,” Not Real “Magic”
Dan Houser, co-founder of Rockstar Games and the creative force behind Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, recently discussed his career, characters, and views on artificial intelligence in a long-form Lex Fridman Podcast interview.
Houser left Rockstar in early 2020 after more than two decades with the studio. He later founded Absurd Ventures, a storytelling company focused on creating worlds that span games, novels, and podcasts. So far, the company has released the A Better Paradise audio series, a graphic novel, and a novel, with several game projects currently in development.
When asked to name his favorite Grand Theft Auto protagonist, Houser chose Niko Bellic, the Serbian immigrant from GTA IV. He described Niko as the most “innovative” and “morally defensible” character in the series.
“I think he’s the most innovative and the most morally defensible in some ways. He does a lot of stuff where he’s fighting for what’s right. He’s the nicest person in some ways,” Houser said. “I loved CJ in San Andreas. Just the way he spoke gave him such humanity. It wasn’t the writing, it was the voice acting. And Michael from GTA V—Ned Luke brought so much humanity to someone who’s so flawed. But I probably love Niko the most.”
Houser also noted that part of the GTA series’ success comes from its infrequent release schedule, which builds anticipation and excitement for each new title. He predicted that Grand Theft Auto VI, which he did not write, will “sell really well” when it launches on May 26, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, crediting Rockstar’s ongoing focus on innovation and quality.
Houser also shared his views on the rise of artificial intelligence and large language models (LLMs). While he acknowledged their usefulness, he expressed skepticism about their ability to generate original or meaningful creative work.
“From what I understand, they’re not going to replace good ideas. They can’t really create new ones. What they can do is low-level stuff,” he explained. “They’ve done the first 90 percent of the work to sound human, maybe 95 percent in some areas. But that last five percent will take 95 percent of the effort, and that’s where the magic lies.”
He added that AI may make it harder for newcomers in creative fields like concept art, but those with genuine originality will still stand out.
“If you have original ideas, you’ll be fine. I think AI will be fantastic at producing really cheap, decent stuff, but not magic,” Houser said.
Houser’s latest work continues to explore the relationship between technology and humanity. His new setting, A Better Paradise, takes place in a near-future dystopia centered on an artificial intelligence named Nigel Dave, a conflicted entity that knows everything yet lacks true understanding and envies human emotion. A game adaptation of this story is currently in early development at Absurd Ventures’ Santa Monica studio.
In addition, another project titled Absurdaverse is also being developed as an open-world game, although Houser mentioned that it will take several years before it is ready for release.
Even after leaving Rockstar, Houser continues to show the same creative ambition that defined his career, blending introspective storytelling with a focus on human complexity and technological evolution.
Do you agree with Dan Houser that AI will only be good at making “cheap, decent stuff,” or do you think creative AI can eventually produce something truly original?
