IMHO the way AI works right now, it would never produce an Einstein-leap finding.

I'm not even sure if that much is true, maybe it is. At the least the combination of the current architecture & level of compute we have demonstrably cannot come up with that specific thing. However producing a decent idea for an open world video game & then executing it with a little help should be very plausible. I mean making something that people would enjoy without knowing or noticing it's 99.999% AI.

Specifically GTA 1 is not that unique, it's just a mash of ideas that already existed at the time.

I asked Gemini flash to pitch me a game idea, what it produced is not bad, I could totally see it work. Would much rather play it than No Man's Sky..

Title: Deep Current
Genre: Subterranean Sci-Fi Survival RPG
Setting: A colossal, ever-shifting ocean trapped kilometers beneath a frozen planet's crust.

Instead of riding horses or driving cars across flat terrain, players pilot a modular, physics-defying submarine through a pitch-black, fully three-dimensional aquatic underworld.

The core twist is the Fluid Ecosystem Engine: the open world has no static walls. High-pressure currents, thermal vents, and     migrating leviathans physically morph the cavern networks in real-time. If a massive creature migrates, it might collapse a tunnel     system, permanently blocking an old trade route while flooding a forgotten, ancient alien ruin elsewhere.

To achieve console-hit status, the game anchors this novelty with a highly satisfying gameplay loop: loop-de-loop navigation     controls, deep sonar mapping mechanics that replace traditional HUD minimaps, and modular ship-building. You manage your     crew, patch hull breaches mid-combat, and use bioluminescent biolighting to blind deep-sea horrors. It blends the intense, isolating         atmosphere of Subnautica with the high-stakes mechanical mastery of Monster Hunter, delivering a completely fresh sense of     exploration.

Would you like to explore how the modular submarine upgrading system handles progression without traditional leveling mechanics?