The impacts of AI on screenwriting
Have you ever curled up on the couch after a long day, hot tea in hand, and queued up your favourite movie? Maybe it’s one of the greats, like Titanic, or Maze Runner, or The Wizard of Oz, or Forrest Gump. Or maybe it’s just one of those cheap 90s romcoms that we pretend to detest but secretly adore. Whatever it is, I will wager that you haven’t once stopped to think about where the idea for this movie began. Who came up with it, who wrote it down, who employed others to collaborate with them, and who worked tirelessly for years to create something magic; the film you now watch for comfort at the end of a long day.
This is the work of the screenwriters. Screenwriters are the members of a production team who are responsible for writing the script for a media, most commonly, film. The art of screenwriting takes many years to master and is different from most creative processes because the end product is not really the end product, but rather the instruction manual for the people who are bringing the story to life. It is an incredibly time-consuming process, one that requires much collaboration, effort, money, and time. So, what happens when something comes along that can do all the screenwriters do but quicker, cheaper, and easier? Well, that is where AI and its dangers on the art of screenwriting come into the picture.
Possibly the biggest issue facing screenwriters is the emergence of AI and the looming threat of replacement. On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a screenwriter to complete the first draft of their screenplay. In comparison to AI tools such as ChatGPT, which can generate stories and scripts within seconds, AI becomes a more time-efficient and inexpensive option. Screenwriters generally earn 2-3% of the overall budget of the production they are writing for. For example, if a film has a budget of $800,000, the screenwriter will receive $24,000. AI scriptwriting tools, in contrast, are usually free. Thus, it’s fairly evident why this technology is becoming so popular for scriptwriting. However, while using AI can have some benefits, it may displace the job of screenwriters by being more efficient, quicker, and much, much cheaper. In many regards, it could be argued that AI is the future of screenwriting. But I beg to differ.
The whole purpose of filmmaking is to tell stories. More specifically, to tell human stories; stories that ordinary people can empathise with and relate to. This is where the second threat AI holds to screenwriting comes in; loss of human connection in film. Something that AI lacks completely is humane, emotional intelligence. AI cannot feel, it cannot live a full life and therefore it cannot draw on lived experiences to create meaningful stories. Writing from the heart, as they may say, is one of the most important aspects of filmmaking, as it is vital in cultivating a link to the audience through the shared human experience. If AI is used to create scripts, it may be quicker, cheaper, and more efficient, but will it succeed in creating a connection between the audience and the big screen if the scripts themselves hold no emotional or empathetic substance? It is my belief that the use of AI to create scripts will have detrimental effects on the purpose and quality of films.
Raising questions surrounding the lack of emotional intelligence and the disconnect from the human experience in AI-constructed scripts links directly to my final point; over-reliance on technology such as AI will cause a loss of creative instincts in the people involved in screenwriting. Overuse of AI when writing creative media will inevitably mean that the need for creative, new ideas will diminish, ultimately ending in a complete lack of originality altogether in scripts. The screenwriters themselves will begin to lose authenticity and spontaneity in their products, putting an end to many unique writing styles, in turn impacting the diverse nature of film. An over-reliance on technology in the future when it comes to screenwriting will also significantly decrease opportunities for young people wanting to enter the industry, as AI will be able to effortlessly fill their positions. The domino effect of the overuse of technology will have massive impacts on the diverse nature of film.
So, the next time that you sit yourself down on your couch with a warm cup of tea and your favourite rom-com ready to go at the touch of a button, take a moment to think about the immeasurable and irreplaceable work that went into that film by the screenwriters, who worked endlessly and tirelessly to create the authentic piece of cinema you watch before you. Think about what detrimental effects AI will have on their craft if it is allowed to take over; we simply cannot let AI sterilise the arts in our society any more than it already has, most particularly in screenwriting and filmmaking.
And after you have taken the time to think about these ideas, please hit that play button.
Sophie C, Year 11