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- The WGA Clarifies Its Position On AI-Written Movies
Major screenwriters group approves films written by artificial intelligence. The rise of ChatGPT and similar AI programs have caused both intrigue and concern of late. On the one hand, users are stunned by the increasingly high-powered capabilities of these programs. On the other hand, however, the prospect of AI-generated writing is terrifying to creatives, who fear their work could be placed with algorithm-generated alternatives.According to Variety, the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) proposes allowing AI use in script writing. Under the proposal, screenwriters could use AI as a tool but maintain their full writing credit on the film. The proposal states that AI-generated work would not be considered “literary material” or “source material.” For this reason, ChatGPT or other AI programs used would not be considered a writer on the project nor would the move have an impact on writers’ residual compensation. The WGA will likely continue to bargain this proposal for the next two weeks.
UPDATE: 2023/03/22 18:20 EST BY RACHEL LABONTE
The WGA Clarifies Its Position On AI-Written Movies
Following the initial news breaking, the Writers Guild of America West posted a 7-part thread on Twitter explaining their position on the idea of AI-written content, stating it was put in place to ensure "the Companies can’t use AI to undermine writers’ working standards including compensation, residuals, separated rights and credits." The thread can be seen below:
Can ChatGPT Actually Produce a Good Script?
While some writers working on big Hollywood projects could benefit from how AI streamlines the process, others still should fear this move. At present, the WGA’s decision does not seem to suggest AIs overtaking writer jobs. But this critical decision will likely depend on one factor, whether AI-generated scripts are good.
As the viral New York Times Chatbot conversation revealed, AI can now engage in a shockingly detailed conversation. This aspect of AI is of particular interest to scriptwriters, as they could take AI with writing dialogue. For franchises like The Fast and Furious or Star Wars, the additional information of multiple films and continuous storylines can help the AI, whose dialogue capabilities combine with the culling together of input from previous franchise content.
The more AI is used, the better the algorithm gets. So, if more and more writers accept the WGA’s invitation and use artificial intelligence as an aid, the AI screenwriter (albeit uncredited) will gain capability. If the WGA proposal goes through, writers may find themselves again fluctuating between terror and intrigue when it comes to AI.
Source: Variety