Paul Schrader claims ChatGPT writes "original" and "fleshed out" movie scripts faster than writers

The Oscar-nominated director's words come amid the debates about the use of Artificial intelligence in films.

As Hollywood grapples with the use of Artificial Intelligence in light of controversies surrounding films like The Brutalist, American screenwriter and director, Paul Schrader took to social media to give his opinion. The Oscar-nominated director claimed that ChatGPT can write “original” and “fleshed out” movie scripts.

Over the weekend, the screenwriter posted about his experience with ChatGPT on Facebook. Scrader stated that he asked the generative AI-powered chatbot to produce an idea for a film for several famous filmmakers, including himself, and that the results were shocking.

“I’M STUNNED. I just asked chatgpt for ‘an idea for Paul Schrader film.’ Then Paul Thomas Anderson. Then Quentin Tarantino. Then Harmony Korine. Then Ingmar Bergman. Then Rossellini. Lang. Scorsese. Murnau. Capra. Ford. Speilberg [sic]. Lynch,” he wrote.

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Schrader concluded by asking why writers should wait for a good idea when artificial intelligence can provide one in seconds.

Scrader's comments stand in stark contrast to many in the entertainment industry who spoken out against AI encroachment, such as Nicolas Cage and Cate Blanchett, Schrader has been previously positive about its usage in filmmaking. During the WGA strike in 2023, the Taxi Driver writer was of the opinion that the guild doesn’t “fear AI as much as it fears not getting paid”.

Schrader's remarks come on the heels of controversies surrounding the use of AI in Hollywood. Recently, Adrien Brody's The Brutalist came under fire after director Dávid Jancsó revealed that they used Respeecher, a vocal AI program to refine Brody's Hungarian accent.

Critics argued that doing so blurs endagers traditional artistry for th sake of creative enhancement.