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AI is considered one of the biggest threats to the film and television industry in decades. It might even be the greatest threat to the livelihood of many people working there. And it鈥檚 one of the reasons why actors and writers went on strike in the United States in 2023. Screenwriters, in particular, believed that Artificial Intelligence could be used by studio bosses to replace them. The strike went on for 148 days and was only resolved when certain concessions were agreed. However, as Jennifer Davidson, Chair Of The International Affiliation Of Writers Guilds, explains, these concessions only applied to America, not to the rest of the world. She tells Antonia Quirke why AI might replace soap opera writers within five years.

Aside from the ethical questions, there are other issues, most obviously: can AI really write a decent script? Antonia tests this hypothesis with the help of writer/directors Carol Morley and Hossein Amini. The results are enlightening and unexpected. One man, though, who鈥檚 not convinced that AI can be the writer鈥檚 friend is author and screenwriter Andy Riley. He regards the use of AI as part of a larger plot to take screenwriters out of the picture.

On a more positive note, Tobias Queisser believes that although AI can鈥檛 write scripts, it could review them. With his company Cinelytic, he argues that in only a matter of minutes his software can tell a good script from a bad one, even awarding points for plot structure and dialogue. And this, he argues, will help movie executives, who have to wade through hundreds of scripts every week, to find the diamond in the rough.

Presenter: Antonia Quirke
Producer: Stephen Hughes

(Photo: Antonia Quirke. Credit: Paul Fegan)