The use of artificial intelligence (AI) to write scripts for films and television shows has been a hot-button issue lately. With the Writers Guild of America on strike and the rise of streaming giants, screenwriters are standing up to make sure they are paid fairly, and that AI isn’t used as a means to replace them. To analyze the capabilities of AI, Insider asked OpenAI’s ChatGPT Plus to write a hypothetical scene from the series finale of HBO’s award-winning show “Succession.”
AI is far from perfect, and the result of the experiment proved this case. After the AI was “fed” summaries of the first six episodes of the final season, it produced a script for the finale. Unfortunately, the experts who viewed the script were unimpressed. Neil Landau, a screenwriting professor at the University of Georgia, and a member of the Writers Guild of America, said the script was “pure drivel” and “just god-awful.”
The script was way off the mark of “Succession,” known for its dark humor and twisted family dynamics, and was “too nice and straightforward.” Oliver Thornton, an Emmy-winning screenwriter and professor at the University of Michigan, added that the script lacked “humor, irony, clever word play,” and “played against audience expectations.” Jim Burnstein, another screenwriting professor and member of the Writers Guild of America at the University of Michigan, said the script should “be off the table right away,” and that “Monkeys can write Hamlet better”.
The script may have been an experiment, but it highlighted the dangers of using AI technology when it comes to writing scripts. AI has numerous advantages and it’s certainly a useful tool, but it can’t yet fully mirror the nuance and ingenuity that screenwriters bring to stories.
OpenAI is a technology company, created in 2015 by research lab OpenAI LP, focused on creating an “Artificial General Intelligence.” They are dedicated to the advancement of AI and use the most advanced research and tools to develop their products. This includes ChatGPT Plus, an AI-chatbot used for natural-language processing and for automated customer service.
