How would you feel if you discovered that a movie you watched was made using an AI-generated screenplay? If you had known beforehand, would you have still chosen to watch it? The Digital Age has seen a rapid increase in AI usage, including within various creative mediums, like essay writing, novel writing, visual art, social media posts, and even screenplays. The use of AI in these mediums has been the subject of controversy, leading to debates surrounding the accuracy and ethics of AI usage. Like most things in life, AI usage in creative media has many perceived pros and cons, so it is important to acknowledge and discuss its nuances.
Arguments for AI-generated screenwriting include its efficiency and ability to assist with a variety of technical and creative tasks in the screenwriting process.
–Brainstorming: Even when the screenwriter creates the actual screenplay and ultimately decides what goes into the finished product, generative AI tools can assist with the brainstorming process.
-Research: AI can assist with the research process by pointing the researcher toward the sources it uses to generate answers to web searches. A screenwriter can then use these sources to do their own research (historical, scientific, artistic, etc.), which can help with the screen play and other elements of the filmmaking process.
–Efficiency: Using generative AI can speed up the screenwriting process. Just like the rest of filmmaking, writing a screenplay takes a lot of work, and the process can be tedious.
While AI certainly has its strengths, it does have limitations and the ability the cause problems. There are multiple arguments against AI-generated screenwriting, including legal quandaries, concerns about the overall quality of AI-generated work, and the fear of AI tools replacing human writers and costing them their jobs.
-Legal Quandaries: One concern that screenwriters have about generative AI is how it applies to copyright laws. There have been questions over who is considered the creator when a piece of work is made with AI involvement. Since generative AI tools are not considered people, humans still have the rights to their work. Even if a piece of work, like a screenplay, is AI-generated, human screenwriters can have jobs and the rights to their work if they make edits and revisions to the work that AI conjures up. Ultimately, humans decide what the finished product looks like. However, these legal concerns are still warranted, given that intellectual property laws vary by country and are subject to change, and because AI is still developing at a rapid pace.
-Quality: Some people in the filmmaking industry have experimented with generative AI to see how well it can create screenplays with varying degrees of prompt specificity. Results have been mixed, because while the generative AI is smart enough to understand how to structure screenplays, offer ideas, and assist with research, the storytelling itself is often dry, boring, and lacking in originality. Generative AI can format and brainstorm, but it cannot come up with original ideas, because everything it conjures up is composed of inspiration from various established works and ideas made by humans. AI has the potential to adapt and improve, of course, but human intervention with AI’s results is still necessary. Additionally, what makes a “good screenplay” or a “good movie” is subjective, and AI, like humanity, only has so much control over how audiences might or might not receive its projects.
-The Fear of Replacement: Ever since AI became a known concept in human society, people of all walks of life have feared the possibility of losing their jobs and being replaced with AI, due to the lower labor costs associated with automated workforces. These concerns have led to common narratives in film and literature about AI ethics and the fear of societal collapse due to sentient robots taking over. In fact, AI replacing human screenwriters was among the issues covered in the WGA strike in 2023. While concerns about AI undermining human work are understandable, there is only so much that AI screenwriters can do without human screenwriters. Without a constant stream of original human work to find, regenerate, and draw inspiration from, AI is not a reliable long-term replacement for humans.
-Environmental Concerns: Another major concern about generative AI usage is the impact it has on the environment. AI data centers require inordinate amounts of water, electricity, and fossil fuels to function properly, which leaves less drinking water, increased carbon emissions, and compromised ecosystems. This calls into question whether it is ethical to tell stories in a way that harms the environment and public health. If screenplays cannot be written sustainably using this method, then the world would need to find ways to decrease the environmental impact of generative AI.
As humans debate the legal and ethical implications of AI, it continues to be developed and now has a near-constant presence in our increasingly digital lives. While some people are against AI and some are not, multiple creators in the filmmaking industry believe that when it comes to screenwriting and storytelling, AI cannot replace humans completely. It can assist with the process and improve its accuracy overtime, but ultimately, humans will remain in control, even as AI develops. Considering that AI will probably stick around, the most nuanced option for human screenwriters is to adapt alongside the AI. It is up to them if they choose to use AI tools, and if they do, working with it to a reasonable degree rather than letting it take control is the way to proceed.