I Let AI Control My GTA 5 Character for 24 Hours — Big Mistake

I Let AI Control My GTA 5 Character for 24 Hours — Big Mistake

Artificial intelligence can do some amazing things today — it writes, paints, drives, and even talks like a real person. But have you ever wondered what would happen if you gave an AI full control of your character in GTA 5? That’s exactly what I did. I let an AI play GTA 5 for a full 24 hours while I just watched. It sounded like a fun experiment. Spoiler alert — it was a huge mistake.

The Idea

It started with curiosity. I saw a few videos online where people used AI to control games like Minecraft or The Sims. Some of the results were hilarious, so I thought, “Why not try it with GTA 5?” After all, it’s one of the most chaotic games ever made. If any game could show how crazy AI can get, it would be GTA 5.

I connected my PC version of GTA 5 with a small AI program that could read what was happening on screen and make keyboard and mouse decisions based on it. Basically, it could see, think, and act — kind of like a weird robot brain controlling my character, Michael.

My only rule was simple: I couldn’t touch the controller for 24 hours. The AI had to make every single move.

The First Hour: Confusion Everywhere

When I first turned it on, the AI didn’t really know what to do. It just walked Michael around in circles. It kept entering and exiting cars like it was trying to make up its mind. Sometimes it would just stare at walls for minutes. I was already laughing. It felt like watching a baby trying to learn how to walk.

Then, about 30 minutes in, the AI figured out how to use vehicles. And that’s when the real chaos began.

It stole a random car, drove down the wrong lane, crashed into five others, and instantly got a two-star wanted level. The cops arrived, and instead of escaping, the AI drove straight into a police roadblock. It was like watching a robot’s brain explode with bad decisions.

Hour Two to Six: Mayhem Unleashed

After a few restarts, things only got worse — or funnier, depending on how you see it. The AI seemed obsessed with chaos. It would punch random NPCs, steal every car it saw, and crash almost every time. It wasn’t trying to finish missions. It was just… existing in pure madness.

At one point, it discovered helicopters. It somehow managed to get one off the ground. I thought, “Okay, now we’re flying!” But within 10 seconds, it flew straight into a billboard and exploded. Classic AI moment.

Later, the AI spent almost an hour just driving around the beach, hitting beach chairs and scaring pedestrians. It looked like it was having fun in its own strange digital way. I couldn’t stop laughing, but I was also amazed at how unpredictable it was.

Hour Seven to Fifteen: The Accidental Genius

Somewhere around the middle of the day, things started to change. The AI began to look… smarter. It started completing small objectives by accident. It robbed a store, escaped from the cops, and even used alleys to hide. It was like it was learning from its mistakes.

I had set up a simple learning loop, so technically, it was improving its behavior based on what worked before. And surprisingly, it did. The AI was actually surviving longer, driving better, and avoiding police more often. It even made it halfway through a side mission by pure accident.

For a few hours, it felt like watching an alien slowly figure out human logic. I was impressed. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

Hour Sixteen to Twenty-Four: Total Disaster

Then everything fell apart.

Around hour sixteen, the AI started glitching. It began running into walls again, driving cars off cliffs, and attacking innocent people nonstop. At one point, it stole a tank from the military base — yes, a tank — and went on a city-wide rampage. Explosions, helicopters, chaos everywhere. Los Santos looked like a war zone.

The AI didn’t stop for the next several hours. It was like it had completely lost its digital mind. Every time it got destroyed, it would respawn and do it all over again. I tried shutting it down, but the program froze my PC twice. I had to sit there, helpless, as it kept wrecking the city.

By the time the 24 hours were up, the AI had broken three cars, caused over a million dollars in in-game damage, and turned my character’s reputation into total chaos. The city was full of burning cars and sirens. I just stared at the screen, half shocked, half laughing.

The Aftermath

When I finally took back control, it felt weirdly emotional — like taking a toy away from a hyperactive child. My GTA 5 save file was a mess. My character had no money left, his car was gone, and the police still wanted him. But I couldn’t stop smiling. I had just watched a robot learn, destroy, and entertain for a whole day.

So, what did I learn from this? AI might be smart, but it’s also unpredictable — especially in a world like GTA 5. Give it too much freedom, and it doesn’t just play the game… it breaks it.