Much has been made of late about the recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI). With openly available programs like DALL-E 2 for image generation and ChatGPT for text generation,[1]concerns have been raised that the AI behind these and similar program have the potential to replace humans in the creative trades. Articles like, “The New Generation of A.I. Apps Could Make Writers and Artists Obsolete,” from Vanity Fair have only fueled the concern.[2]
According to ChatGPT itself:
“AI has the potential to revolutionize the field of screenwriting, eventually replacing human screenwriters altogether. With advancements in natural language processing and deep learning algorithms, AI systems can analyze vast amounts of existing film scripts, character development, plot structures, and audience preferences to generate original and compelling screenplays. AI can quickly generate multiple script options, tailored to specific genres, target audiences, or even individual preferences. By leveraging its ability to learn and adapt from vast amounts of data, AI can efficiently identify successful story arcs, engaging dialogue, and captivating characters, ultimately creating narratives that resonate with viewers. Furthermore, AI can continually iterate and refine its writing based on audience feedback, enhancing the quality and relevance of the scripts over time. While human creativity and intuition may still hold value in certain artistic endeavors, AI’s potential to deliver consistent and data-driven storytelling could make it an appealing alternative to traditional screenwriters in the near future.”[3]
The concern that machines will displace humans is not new. The word “sabotage” originated from French labor disputes.[4] According to an article from 1907 (at around the time the word entered the English language), “(Sabotage) has been adopted by certain French workpeople as a substitute for striking. The workman, in other words, purposes to remain on and to do his work badly, so as to annoy his employer’s customers and cause loss to his employer.”
Mechanization and automation have long been displacing humans by reducing (and in some cases eliminating) the human labor required to produce goods and perform services.[5] This began when movable type replaced scribes in book manufacturing and continued through mechanical looms,[6] sewing machines, washing machines, typewriters, and telephone switchboards, culminating in the vast array of robots that have replaced most manufacturing jobs. The specific concern that technology will replace workers led economist John Maynard Keynes to coin the term “technological unemployment” in 1930.[7]
But all is not doom and gloom for scriptwriters and other workers in the creative industries. ChatGPT also makes a good counter-argument:
“Despite the remarkable advancements in artificial intelligence, it is highly unlikely that AI will completely replace human screenwriters. While AI systems can analyze and generate scripts based on existing data, they lack the depth of human experience, emotions, and creativity that are essential in crafting compelling and unique narratives. Human screenwriters possess the ability to draw inspiration from personal experiences, cultural contexts, and societal issues, enabling them to create stories that resonate with audiences on a profound level. Additionally, screenwriting involves a collaborative process that requires an understanding of complex human dynamics, nuanced dialogue, and character development. Human screenwriters bring a distinct perspective, intuition, and imagination to their work, which is challenging for AI systems to replicate. Ultimately, the artistry, emotional depth, and imaginative storytelling that human screenwriters provide will continue to be valued and sought after in the film industry.”
As you might expect, long before screenwriters became concerned that they might be replaced by AI, AI was a plot device in those writers’ creative works – and (spoiler alert) it has generally not gone well for the humans.
The term “robot” owes its origins to the Czech playwright Karel Čapek and his 1920 play R.U.R.(Rossumovi Univerzální Roboti, or “Rossum’s Universal Robots”). It was derived from the Czech word “robota,” meaning “forced labor” (think serfs bound to the land), itself derived from “rab,” meaning “slave.” One of the first motion pictures to depict an artificial intelligence, Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927),[8] featured a robot. (It did not end well.) Things have been going downhill since then for artificial intelligences in general, robots in particular, and the unsuspecting humans who interact with them. To be sure, not all AIs are malevolent, but there’s often a disconnect between their concept of “the greater good” and our concept of “continuing to live.”[9] Still, you will find the occasional artificial good guy in the AI oeuvre, ranging from the cute and good-natured Johnny Five in Short Circuit (1986) to the tragic self-reinvention of the weapon-turned-savior in the eponymous The Iron Giant (1999). Though, admittedly, beneficial Ais are rare.
For your edification, we provide a list drawn from the EIDR registry that demonstrates the wide variety of motion pictures that feature an artificial intelligence. Among the 175 entries, you will surely find examples that reinforce your (positive or negative) view of AI while also offering hundreds of hours of human-crafted entertainment along the way.
AI Through the Ages
[1] Both from the company OpenAI, established in 2015 with the goal “to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.”
[2] For an opposing viewpoint, see “Why AI Can’t Replace a Client-focused Team of Dedicated Human Writers” and “AI can’t replace human writers.”
[3] Props must be given to ChatGPT for its correct use of the Oxford comma.
[4] In French, “sabotage” originally meant “to bungle,” or literally “to walk noisily” from “sabot,” a type of wooden shoe often worn by factory workers.
[5] In 1850 an article describing a threatened tailor strike over the use of sewing machines suggested that displaced workers should direct their talents to higher pursuits – advice that has been repeated with each subsequent wave of automation.
[6] The apocryphal source of “sabotage,” either when a displaced French weaver threw a wooden shoe into a mechanical loom, or when inexperienced farm workers (who wore wooden shoes, or “sabots”) were brought in to replace striking skilled textile workers. Both potential origins of the work are tied to the French textile industry, but labor dispute sabotage pre-dates the coining of the term in 1903, going back to the Luddites of 1811-1812 and their earlier destruction of textile mills in England.
[7] See “Robots Have Been About to Take All the Jobs for 100 Years” for a survey of technological unemployment over the past 100 years.
[8] Edison Studio’s Frankenstein (1910) predated Metropolis, but Frankenstein’s monster (yes, Frankenstein was the scientist – his monster had no name) features a reanimated human brain and so is technically not an artificial intelligence.
[9] See, for example, HAL’s reasoning for killing off the Discovery’s crewmen in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)