Take-Two Interactive has taken a stance against “Sentient Streets,” a unique Grand Theft Auto mod that relied heavily on AI for generating NPC dialogue. The mod was gaining traction with over 100,000 views on a YouTube video showcasing its features.
The creator, known on YouTube as Bloc, was taken aback when his creation was abruptly removed from platforms including YouTube and NexusMods. A story that revolved around an intriguing AI-worshipping death cult, the mod leveraged the power of the Inworld Character Engine by Inworld AI to craft randomly generated dialogues for its NPCs.
Despite Rockstar Games’ recent partnership with Cfx.re, the group behind the famous FiveM and RedM mod communities, and their commitment to formally supporting mods from the roleplay creative community, it seems parent company Take-Two still remains cautious. The company has a longstanding history of safeguarding its intellectual properties, with reports of them employing measures such as DMCA takedowns, filing lawsuits, and even dispatching private investigators to the homes of certain players.
So, what could have triggered this move against Sentient Streets? Speculations are rife that it might be due to the mod’s integration of third-party technology, particularly the Inworld Character Engine, and AI-generated voices developed by ElevenLabs, a company boasting a $100 million valuation. This company employs a unique approach to voice generation, merging random sampling with contracted performances. Such advancements, while impressive, might bring up potential concerns that don’t plague regular mods, which merely tweak in-game assets and gameplay mechanics.
When reached out for a comment on this intriguing situation by Kotaku, both Take-Two and Bloc remained silent, further deepening the mystery.
Bloc, however, did take to YouTube to express his feelings on the matter. “Knowing that large corporations can issue strikes based on arbitrary reasons, which can cause your work to vanish in moments, is discouraging to say the least,” he wrote.