Will Artificial Intelligence Chatbots take over Screenwriting and Storytelling?
That fact that we are here asking this question is a spooky scary thought indeed. If Artificial Intelligence like ChatGPT takes over screen writing, then what are writers gonna do? The good news, at least for right now, is that AI can not write a perfect screenplay on it's own. AI is based on statistics, numbers, and quantitative modeling. It is unfamiliar with emotions like sadness, envy and rage. You know, stuff that the human experience is all about. It will often struggle with context, depth, nuance, hyperbole, and prose. These programs cannot think independently without a human prompt to get them started. You simply cannot type in "Give me a awesome script." and sit back and relax.
“Hello, how do you define an awesome script? Please, feed me the details”. An bot is useless without the data that is fed into it.
The way to view AI in writing is to treat it as a tool — like Final Draft, Celtx, or a pencil — rather than as a writer. The idea is, that an studio executive or someone could hand you an AI-generated script to rewrite or polish and the writer would still be considered the first writer on the project. So the A.I bot would not get writing credit or divide residuals. What is a bot gonna do with money anyway? It'a already immortal. (Although just picture watching an movies credits and seeing "Written by ChatGPT" show up on the screen). The idea it that it would save time and speed up production.
For the world of indie filmmaking, A.I chatbot's won't be able to aid us much or at all, at least right now. When Indie filmmakers write scripts, we often have to consider our budget constraints and access to on set locations. After all, what we write we have to be able to film. So if ChatGPT starts off a script set in an ancient pyramid that explodes and the characters are teleported to the top of the Eiffel Tower, you think an indie film maker is going to be able to bring that to life on a budget $25,000. ChatGPT can get out of here man. The amount of editing an indie filmmaker would have to do would be so ridiculous that you'll just be better off writing a script the old fashion way. (Although lazy indie filmmakers might like this idea and I hope to see them tackle the exploding ancient pyramid scene soon)
Even I have to admit, this would be an pretty epic start to an movie.
So what happens when an AI program writes a script entirely on its own, without help or edits from a person. Does all the credit go to the person who put in the prompt? Does the bot get credit? Will the bot be able to create an engaging sequel or franchise? (Hollywood is already just recycling the same old ideas, so I don't think they need help with that). Some of these bots work by feeding them information. So if you feed a bot all the scripts written by Billy Wilder and asked it to put out a script in the same style, would it be consider the bot is just stealing ideas since it's just basing on the work it studied. These will the be the questions the Writhers Guild of America will have to figure out the answers to, and soon. The technology is at it's worst today, and we can only guess how good it will be in 5 or 10 years from now.
““The WGA’s proposal to regulate use of material produced using artificial intelligence or similar technologies ensures the Companies can’t use AI to undermine writers’ working standards including compensation, residuals, separated rights and credits.””
So will Artificial Intelligence Chatbots take over Screenwriting and Storytelling? No, they won't, at least for now unless they somehow become more human and can figure out to head bang to an awesome guitar riff, dance around the room to an favorite song, or fall in love with an waifu. Think of it this way, you still gotta come up with a creative prompt or question on your own to even get the program to get started. So who's really do the thinking and storytelling here.
Once an Chatbot starts crushing on a anime waifu, then you know the end times are near.
On a side note, I can not wait till AI bots try their hand at recreating death metal and black metal. Ai bots trying to recreate growls and shrieks is going to be something else man and I'm here for it.
