There is a future in which TV series are no longer created by real screenwriters, but are generated by algorithms artificial intelligence. And where you, the viewers, become an active part of the creative process, producing new episodes with just a few clicks. It's a pretty near future: it's called showrunner, and it's a new streaming service which promises to revolutionize the way we watch (and create) TV.
This “AI Netflix” is destined to clash with resistance from the traditional industry, starting with the screenwriters. Will it be the beginning of a new era or a flash in the pan?
Welcome to Hollywood. Sorry, in Silicon Valley
Behind Showrunner there is not the usual Californian major, but the Fable Studio of San Francisco, specialized in content generated by AI. The target? Becoming "the Netflix of artificial intelligence", in the words of the CEO Edward Saatchi. And judging by the initial lineup, there's certainly no shortage of ambition.
Take “Exit Valley”, one of the first series available on the platform: a biting satire on Silicon Valley in “South Park” style, complete with grungy graphics and robotic voices. Or “Pixels”, which seems to have come straight out of a brainstorm between Pixar and Disney after a “Cars” marathon. In short, AI tries its hand at the most disparate genres, from cartoons to CGI animation, with mixed but nevertheless intriguing results.
For an embryo, it's pretty dynamic.
Showrunner: spectators or producers? Why choose
The real gem of Showrunner is not so much the content, but the involvement of the audience. Because after having devoured all the episodes of your favorite series, you can roll up your sleeves (so to speak) and create new ones yourself. Enter some instructions in a prompt, specify the plot, give all the instructions to the AI, and voilà: the new episode is ready.
A bit like playing small producer, in short. With the difference that if your episode is selected by the platform, you take home a nice nest egg, a percentage of views and even a credit on IMDb. Throw them away.
Houston, we will have a problem (or rather, a strike)
Real screenwriters, the ones in flesh and blood, don't seem enthusiastic about the idea of having their work stolen by AI. Last year, the Writers Union of America (WGA) called a five-month strike to protest the use of artificial intelligence in script writing.
The result? A historic contract that forces studios to declare whether content was generated by AI and prohibits attributing writing credits to it. In short, a good point in favor of humans in the challenge against machines. And a wake-up call for Showrunner and co: the road to the "AI Netflix" risks being paved with legal and union obstacles.
Will Showrunner be true glory or just a passing fad?
Despite industry resistance, however, Showrunner seems to have touched a raw nerve with the public. The early access waitlist has already reached 50.000 users, a sign that curiosity for this new way of making (and enjoying) TV is high.
It remains to be seen whether this is a real revolution or just a passing fad. Will artificial intelligence really succeed in displacing human screenwriters, or will it end up being just another "feature" to add to the studios' toolbox? And above all: will AI-generated series live up to expectations, or will they end up boring the audience with repetitive and predictable plots?
As good old Humphrey Bogart would say: “Frankly, I don't care.” The important thing is that TV continues to surprise us and make us dream: and maybe one day we will all find ourselves saying: “Do you remember that fantastic series? The one written by AI”. Or maybe we'll say: "Thank goodness there are still some real screenwriters." To posterity (human or artificial) the arduous sentence.