London Cinema Cancels AI-Generated Film Screening Due To Backlash

A movie written by artificial intelligence (AI) was canceled from a central London theater due to negative public feedback. The Last Screenwriter, authored by ChatGPT, was scheduled to have its global premiere on Sunday at the Prince Charles Cinema in Soho.

The movie theater declared on Tuesday that the screening had been canceled in response to crowd concerns about “the use of AI in place of a writer.”

“To all of you, yesterday we posted about a private hire event taking place this coming weekend which featured a project whose script had been written by AI,” the movie theater wrote in an Instagram message.

“The client informed the private hire team that this was an ‘experiment in filmmaking’ by a filmmaker hoping to engage in the discussion about AI and its negative impact on the arts. The film’s content reflected this, so the hiring team took the booking.”

It continued: “The feedback we received over the last 24 hours once we advertised the film has highlighted the strong concern held by many of our audience on the use of AI in place of a writer which speaks to a wider issue within the industry.

“As a result of this, we have decided NOT to go ahead with the hire. Our decision is rooted in our passion for movies and listening to those who support what we do.”

The film, which was directed by Peter Luisi, is being promoted as the “first feature film written entirely by AI.”

It centers on renowned screenwriter Jack, whose life is turned upside down when he comes across a state-of-the-art AI scriptwriting system. Jack, who was first dubious, eventually comes to realize that the AI is just as skilled as he is, if not more so, in terms of empathy and emotional intelligence.

Also Read: Elon Musk Sues OpenAI And CEO Sam Altman For Abandoning Mission

When Jack is allowed to write a movie entirely using AI, he is torn between his pride and his dread of becoming outdated.

“We wanted to find out if artificial intelligence can write an entire feature film and how good this film would be if produced by a professional team,” the film’s authors write on their website.

Artificial intelligence (AI) in the arts has been a contentious topic of discussion lately.

Last year, the US actors’ union Sag-Aftra staged a walkout in Hollywood over several problems, including the uncontrolled use of AI, which was supported by hundreds of thousands of actors. The entertainment industry is still quite concerned about it because of the heavy reliance of programs like ChatGPT on copyrighted content in their development.

The matter has now reached the Government’s desk, as Members of Parliament are requesting actions to guarantee that artists are fairly compensated when AI developers use their creations.