Film director suggests writers should use ChatGPT to generate ideas, sparking debate

Film director and screenwriter Paul Schrader has sparked debate after suggesting writers use AI and ChatGPT to come up with film ideas.

While artificial intelligence is becoming more integrated into our daily lives, there is a fear that it may encroach too far into some industries, including the creative arts, possibly threatening jobs.

Schrader, who penned the screenplay for Taxi Driver, revealed in a post on Facebook that he had experimented with using the AI chatbot, ChatGPT, to generate ideas and was “stunned” with the outcome.

The 78-year-old wrote: “I’M STUNNED. I just asked ChatGPT for ‘an idea for Paul Schrader film’.”

He added he did the same for other filmmakers including Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, Harmony Korine and Martin Scorsese.

Schrader continued: “Every idea ChatGPT came up with (in a few seconds) was good. And original. And fleshed out.

“Why should writers sit around for months searching for a good idea when AI can provide one in seconds?”

But, Schrader’s post sparked debate, with many in the comments questioning how AI can possibly be a match for the creativity of the human brain.

One person in the comments argued: “This way of thinking stunts future writers from having voices themselves/doing the work to find their voice. Sure, this can give us somewhat compelling versions of these works, but we won’t get any new voices to emerge because AI won’t even know them.”

Another said: “Maybe it’s okay for basically plot-led films, but for films that are led by the HUMAN subconscious, memories, having lived a life, basically magic – metaphysical films like those of Tarkovsky or David Lynch or other such artists – to use a script via AI does not compare. No way.”

“It can be a good writing partner,” someone else agreed.

One Facebook user said: “Yeah, that’s the thing nobody wants you to understand. And yet it’s so simple. AI is extremely powerful. Read the comments and look at how much they instantly and reflexively resist the idea.”

Another argued: “I know but I don’t want to use it for the unique work. It’s okay for manual labour. I feel strongly we should remain at the centre of our creative work.”

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