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AI-Written Film Premiere Canceled in London After Backlash

Author

Alicia Shapiro
June 21, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes

A cinema with a marquee displaying the title "The Last Screenwriter" with "Cancelled" stamped across it. The scene is set in London's West End, showing a crowd gathered outside the cinema. The background features a mix of classic cinema architecture and modern elements, reflecting the intersection of tradition and innovation. The atmosphere is tense, capturing the controversy surrounding AI-generated scripts

AI-Written Film Premiere Canceled in London After Backlash

The world premiere of The Last Screenwriter, a film with a script generated by AI, was canceled following public backlash. The Prince Charles Cinema in London's West End, known for showcasing cult and art films, announced the cancellation on social media.

Audience Concerns

The cinema stated, “The feedback we received over the last 24 hours after advertising the film highlighted the strong concern held by many of our audience on the use of AI in place of a human writer, which speaks to a wider issue within the industry.”

About The Last Screenwriter

Directed by Peter Luisi and starring Nicholas Pople, The Last Screenwriter is a Swiss film that tells the story of a celebrated screenwriter who encounters an advanced AI scriptwriting system. The screenplay, credited to “ChatGPT 4.0,” explores the AI's ability to match and surpass human skills in empathy and emotional understanding. OpenAI released its latest model, GPT-4, in May.

Director’s Perspective

Luisi explained to the Daily Beast that the screening was canceled after the cinema received 200 complaints. Despite the public screening's cancellation, a private showing for the cast and crew will still take place in London. He stated, “I think people don’t know enough about the project. All they hear is ‘first film written entirely by AI’ and immediately see the enemy. If screenwriters take the time to watch the movie and read about the process and why we did this film,I can’t imagine they’ll condemn us or me because I’m one of them … I want to do this as a contribution to the cause.”

AI in the Film Industry

The use of AI in filmmaking remains contentious. Last year’s Hollywood writers’ strike included demands for protections against AI's role in the writing process. The resulting agreement allows AI to generate script drafts, but writers will always receive credit for their work. Additionally, issues like performance cloning were highlighted when Scarlett Johansson's complaint about ChatGPT using her voice replica led to the AI company dropping the use.