The row over AI in TV writers' rooms

Entertainment industry insiders have reacted with dismay to a job advert for a "Head of Generative AI Innovation" to spearhead the use of the tech for "ideation" and "character development" for ITV shows.

The ad, posted on LinkedIn last week, has reignited concern over the role that artificial intelligence is increasingly playing in television and film production.

'Depressing and unethical'

The vacancy, which is no longer open for applications, offers a salary of between £80,000 and £95,000 for an AI expert who could act as an "innovative and visionary leader" for the TV channel.

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Speaking to Broadcast, comedy writer Lisa McGee, creator of "Derry Girls", said that the role was "incredibly depressing" and "unethical", while Jack Rooke, the creator of "Big Boys", said that ITV was "neglecting to realise their most successful scripted projects have always been born out of real life human experience".

The development shows that AI "could be a game-changer for TV and film", said Gareth Roberts in The Spectator, and "not the good kind" for workers in the industry. Why hire writers, actors, directors and producers "at huge expense", or "in fact, why hire anybody", when "you can just press send on a prompt" and "get a new show or film tailored to your needs"?

'Textual turkey dinosaurs'

Has that prospect already arrived? This summer saw the release of the first-ever movie with an AI-generated script. Fittingly titled "The Last Screenwriter", every line had been "dreamt up" by an AI chatbot, which wrote the entire screenplay based on a 17-word prompt.

The industry was "terrified" by this milestone, said The Telegraph's film critic, Robbie Collin. And fans were equally outraged: plans to screen the film at London's Prince Charles Cinema were cancelled after the venue was bombarded with complaints.

There were also charges of plagiarism. AI "ingests vast quantities of (human) writing, which it then mulches down and reshapes, like textual turkey dinosaurs, to satisfy the instructions keyed in by its users". In a way, then, "everything" AI produces is "stolen".

Last year, Hollywood writers "scored a major victory" in the battle over artificial intelligence when they agreed a new contract featuring "strong guardrails" over how the technology can be used in film and television projects, said The Guardian.

A sticking point in one of the longest labour disputes in Hollywood history was the danger that "unchecked" AI could pit "artists against robots in a battle over human creativity". The deal, which aims to ensure that new technology stays in the control of workers rather than being used by their bosses to replace them, meant some writers are "breathing easier – for now".

'Galumphing rate' of progress

Many in the industry remain nervous over what the future holds. Responding to the row over its recent job ad, ITV said that "while nothing can replace the human creativity of our teams", the channel is "exploring how GenAI can help our staff to work more efficiently and creatively".

With the "galumphing rate" of progress in AI, said Roberts, it "surely won't be too long" before the viewer can "press send on a prompt and get the show they want in their inbox", which would be "kaboom for the entertainment industry".

So if the TV industry is "serious about survival", it must "start crafting better shows before the machines do".