Everyone knows that one of the essential components of movie-making is a well-written script. Still, what happens when you surrender control of the story to AI? Not only do you run the risk of getting called out by audiences for using one of the entertainment industry’s most controversial tools, but you also run the risk of working with a narrative that’s full of holes and in desperate need of human touch. Many creators have spoken out against the use of AI, and while at the Cannes Film Festival, The Studio and Preacher writer Seth Rogen took writers who use AI to task.
Rogen on creators using AI in filmmaking
Speaking with Brut about AI usage in filmmaking, Rogen said, “I don’t understand what it’s supposed to do. Every time I see a video on Instagram that’s like, ‘Hollywood is cooked,’ what follows is the most stupid dog shit I’ve ever seen in my life. And if your instinct is to use AI and not go through that process. You shouldn’t be a writer. Because you’re not writing.” He continued, “Go do something else. And if you don’t want to go through the process, you shouldn’t be a writer. The idea of a tool that makes me write less is not appealing to me, because I like writing.”
There’s no AI in Rogen’s new animated film
Rogen was at Cannes promoting his new animated film Tangles, which focuses on “a young woman as she grapples with her mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis.” When an interviewer expressed their relief that there’s no AI in the film, Rogen was quick to agree and celebrate the project’s creative process, saying, “Not at all. It’s a hand-drawn animation. Every frame has a human touch to it, which is great.”
Sometimes, I feel like a broken record when I say this, but it bears repeating. AI is a slippery slope. The more we rely on AI for creative endeavors, the more the project loses its identity and connection to the people in charge of its creation. Yes, there’s an argument for using AI in some cases, but those occasions are minimal, and even then, it had better be for busy work and not something that requires a personal touch. I could go on, but no one wants that. AI isn’t going anywhere, so we’ll touch on this topic repeatedly as we steadily march toward Skynet’s evil plan.
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