Screenwriters should not fear artificial intelligence (AI), according to Richard Walter, the 79-year-old chair of the screenwriting program at UCLA. Walter, who wrote early versions of the crowd-pleasing 1972 film “American Graffiti” and has been writing professionally for over half a century, believes that AI will have a disruptive impact on the screenwriting process. But, he believes that AI technology won’t eliminate the creation of original fictional stories.
Walter sees AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT as helpful writing resources. For Walter, AI can become a tool that could help writers be more efficient and quicker. He also believes that writers can learn a lot from AI if they choose to have an open mind.
Walter’s opinion on the beneficial uses of AI arrives as thousands of film and TV writers are on strike to demand better wages. The writers are also requesting regulation of AI use in the film and TV industry- fearing that AI could lead to lower wages and even replace them. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) has rejected the Writers Guild of America’s (WGA) demand that AI “can’t write or rewrite” and has offered annual meetings to discuss advancements in technology.
Now that AI technology is an undeniable reality, Walter insists that “writers wanting to make it illegal would be the equivalent of buggy-whip manufacturers trying to outlaw the automobile.” Although, Walter acknowledges that AI bots generate content filled with inaccuracies, lack the depth of character, and contain hollow “on-the-one-hand….but-on-the-other” statements. He believes that such flaws are no different than those of humans.
Still, Walter believes in the potential of AI, and expects it to only become more advanced with time. The profound question may not be of today’s AI technology, but what AI advancements will come down the roadway. Screenwriters would do best to remain open to AI’s potential and embrace the opportunity to learn from it.
