Elon Musk says artificial intelligence may only be a few years away from being able to create entire video games on its own, sharing the prediction during an appearance on Ari Emanuel and Ben Persky’s Rushmore on X podcast.
When asked how long it would take before AI could fully automate game development, Musk responded that the technology was “maybe three years away from where AI does the whole video game,” rather than being used as a tool to assist in traditional game development.
His comments came as part of a wider discussion about gaming on the podcast, which also featured former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick.
Fully AI games still a ways off
While Musk believed AI would eventually reach a stage where it’s advanced enough to create entire games, he also said that, due to the medium being interactive, he believed the first game of its kind wouldn’t arrive until 2029.
Musk’s comments come during a time when AI has become a hot topic in the industry, with more and more developers using it to assist game production. Arc Raiders developer Embark used AI-generated text-to-speech for some in-game dialogue, including pings and non-critical NPCs.
Elsewhere in the podcast, Bobby Kotick used the conversation to praise Musk directly, saying he “truly would be the best owner of any game company” and claiming there was “not a person who would be more qualified to build and run a game company.”
Kotick also said Musk needed to own X for the “betterment of society,” expanding his endorsement beyond gaming.
Later in the discussion, Musk revealed his personal Mount Rushmore of video games, naming Quake, Half-Life 2, BioShock and the original Deus Ex as his top picks. Diablo IV failed to make the list, despite Musk praising it during the podcast.
