Warren Leight screenwriter and executive
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2025 5:53 am
The script of a good film is supposed to exude humanity from every pore and that is precisely why it manages to connect with the viewer on the big screen (to the point of making them cry buckets). However, in a disturbingly near future, humanity will be sadly conspicuous by its absence in the cinema because Hollywood is preparing to set its sights on artificial intelligence (AI) to make up for the shortage of writers due to the indefinite strike called by the union of film and television writers overseas.
According to Above the Line , major studios and streaming video platforms have been considering for several weeks the possibility of having an AI similar to ChatGPT write scripts based on books and works in the public domain.
Sources consulted by Above the Line confirm that almost all film and television studios are planning to throw themselves into the arms of AI to write scripts. The idea is to use this technology as an emergency measure to alleviate the effects of the writers' strike. This is a measure that will not, however, leave the human factor completely out of the equation, since real people will rewrite the script afterwards to speed up the process.
The Writers Guild of America ( WGA ) rejects this initiative outright and advocates for the regulation of the use of AI in screenwriting. In addition, John August, a member of the WGA negotiating committee, emphasizes that screenwriters have no intention of correcting texts produced by AI.
producer of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit , meanwhile , claims that the use of AI to write scripts is nothing more than a ploy by studios to cut scriptwriters' fees.
The writers' union does not want AI-generated work to be considered literary material
However, the writers' union has recently approved the use of AI as a tool and assures that it does not in any way intend to clip its wings by means of possible bans, but demands that its use be suitably regulated.
The WGA proposes that work produced by AI not be considered literary or source material. This would protect taiyuan number screening the writer, since AI-written scripts would not deprive the screenwriter of credit on a film or affect his salary.
Some in Hollywood are firmly convinced that the future of the industry will inevitably depend on scripts written with the invaluable help of AI . This is what Joe Russo, director of Avengers: Endgame , says in no uncertain terms .
However, screenwriters have a very different opinion on this matter. In fact, a large part of the members of the WGA consider AI to be a "plagiarism machine".
Just as visual artists have already argued , when they sued generative AI tools for using copyrighted works, screenwriters claim that training artificial intelligence models using existing material clearly constitutes intellectual property theft.
In this regard, the writers' union is calling for the use of AI to be regulated in all projects . "Artificial intelligence cannot write or rewrite literary material, it cannot be used as source material, and existing scripts cannot be used to train an AI," stresses the WGA. Its proposal has, however, been rejected by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
Film and television studios are aware , after all, that AI-written scripts could save them billions of dollars . Hiring screenwriters solely to rewrite scripts born from the womb of AI would visibly cripple the salaries of these professionals (which clearly benefits the film and television industry financially).
According to Above the Line , major studios and streaming video platforms have been considering for several weeks the possibility of having an AI similar to ChatGPT write scripts based on books and works in the public domain.
Sources consulted by Above the Line confirm that almost all film and television studios are planning to throw themselves into the arms of AI to write scripts. The idea is to use this technology as an emergency measure to alleviate the effects of the writers' strike. This is a measure that will not, however, leave the human factor completely out of the equation, since real people will rewrite the script afterwards to speed up the process.
The Writers Guild of America ( WGA ) rejects this initiative outright and advocates for the regulation of the use of AI in screenwriting. In addition, John August, a member of the WGA negotiating committee, emphasizes that screenwriters have no intention of correcting texts produced by AI.
producer of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit , meanwhile , claims that the use of AI to write scripts is nothing more than a ploy by studios to cut scriptwriters' fees.
The writers' union does not want AI-generated work to be considered literary material
However, the writers' union has recently approved the use of AI as a tool and assures that it does not in any way intend to clip its wings by means of possible bans, but demands that its use be suitably regulated.
The WGA proposes that work produced by AI not be considered literary or source material. This would protect taiyuan number screening the writer, since AI-written scripts would not deprive the screenwriter of credit on a film or affect his salary.
Some in Hollywood are firmly convinced that the future of the industry will inevitably depend on scripts written with the invaluable help of AI . This is what Joe Russo, director of Avengers: Endgame , says in no uncertain terms .
However, screenwriters have a very different opinion on this matter. In fact, a large part of the members of the WGA consider AI to be a "plagiarism machine".
Just as visual artists have already argued , when they sued generative AI tools for using copyrighted works, screenwriters claim that training artificial intelligence models using existing material clearly constitutes intellectual property theft.
In this regard, the writers' union is calling for the use of AI to be regulated in all projects . "Artificial intelligence cannot write or rewrite literary material, it cannot be used as source material, and existing scripts cannot be used to train an AI," stresses the WGA. Its proposal has, however, been rejected by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
Film and television studios are aware , after all, that AI-written scripts could save them billions of dollars . Hiring screenwriters solely to rewrite scripts born from the womb of AI would visibly cripple the salaries of these professionals (which clearly benefits the film and television industry financially).