Chris Keyser is no stranger to Hollywood's glittering accolades. As the writer behind the Golden Globe-winning drama Party of Five and the Netflix series The Society, his work has left an indelible mark on the entertainment industry. But in 2023, he made headlines for a different reason: leading the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike as co-chair of the negotiating committee. One of the strike's key demands? Regulation against the use of AI in screenwriting.
When I met Chris at the Screenwriters Association's 7th Indian Screenwriters Conference in Mumbai, I couldn't resist asking him the burning question: Does AI have any legitimate uses in writing?
His answer was as nuanced as his scripts. "I'm not opposed to all technology that increases productivity, including AI," he began. "But I'm also not the type to say, 'Give me 27 plots and let me pick from them.'"
The Ethical Dilemma: Chris' first objection to AI isn't about efficiency or creativity — it's about ethics.
"Before we write anything, we have to sign a certificate of authorship claiming what we write is all ours," he explained. "But anyone who uses AI with an actual script, I think, is not in a position to sign that because they have no idea what has been fed into that large language model."
This ethical quandary is at the heart of the debate. Can a writer truly claim ownership of a story if parts of it were generated by a machine trained on countless other works? Chris doesn't think so. "Writing itself, the act of creating something that's original — I think, to whatever extent possible, I'd like to see AI being off limits to that."
The Soul of Storytelling: For Chris, the soul of storytelling lies in its diversity.
"One of the things that's good about writing is the diversity of voices that come out. New points of view, new ways of thinking about the world," he said. "Whereas AI is sort of the collector of the average of all of us."
This sentiment strikes a chord. AI, by its very nature, is a tool that aggregates and synthesises existing data. It can mimic patterns and styles, but can it truly innovate? Can it capture the raw, unfiltered essence of human experience?
Chris doubts it despite being not blind to the changing times. "We used to make our own furniture, grow our own food. We don't do any of those things anymore. It’s all become more efficient. And we’ve changed. Are we better for it or worse? Some combination of the two."
AI as a Tool, Not a Creator: Despite his reservations, Chris isn't a Luddite. He acknowledges that AI has its uses — just that it cannot be in the creative process itself.
"I don't mind its use as a tool in research or doing some background work," he admitted. "Though I haven't used AI myself, I understand that people in the world will use it to write drafts. But as long as it is the first draft of something like a Thank You note, or AI being kept away from students altogether, I can tolerate the tool."
This pragmatic approach reflects a broader truth: AI is here to stay, but its role in creative industries must be carefully defined. For Chris, the line is clear: AI can assist, but it should never replace the human touch.
The 2023 Strike — A Turning Point: The 2023 Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike was a watershed moment for the entertainment industry. What started as a fight for fair wages and working conditions quickly evolved into a battle against the encroachment of AI.
"It was just six months since ChatGPT had arrived, but many writers had experimented with it enough to know how disruptive it could be," Chris recalled. "The protestors smelled a rat when the production houses refused to talk about AI."
The WGA's stand on AI was a game-changer. "We redoubled our efforts," Chris said.
The resulting Minimum Basic Agreement included provisions to protect writers from being replaced by machines. "It took care of AI for the present when it comes to screenwriters," he noted. But the fight is far from over.
The Fear Of Fewer Voices: One of Chris' biggest fears about AI is the reduction of opportunities for writers.
"The number of writers who work for a given company are being reduced," he said. "AI is so efficient at turning out lots of options. Though somebody's still going to have to pick and choose and feed in prompts."
During the WGA negotiations, Chris and his colleagues fought to preserve the writer's room — a collaborative space where ideas are born and refined.
"The companies were trying to make it smaller due to the advent of AI," he explained. "We didn't want television to be written by a showrunner and a machine that can churn out plots or drafts that can be rewritten. We didn't anticipate that no one would be working. We just anticipated the possibility that fewer people would be working."
Competing with AI: So, how does a writer compete with a machine that can generate endless ideas in seconds?
Chris' answer is refreshingly simple: "We're still competing against everyone else. We still need to have a point of view that is unique and special. You do the best of what you are."
He laughed when I asked if he felt pressured to improve his writing to outshine AI. "If I could write better, I'd do it already," he quipped. Touche.
As our conversation wound down, I couldn't help but wonder: What does the future hold for storytelling in the age of AI? Chris' vision is both hopeful and cautionary.
He wants to believe that the human element — the spark of creativity and the diversity of voices — will always prevail. But it's up to us to ensure that AI remains a tool, not a replacement.
In the end, Chris Keyser's journey from AI adversary to cautious observer is a microcosm of the broader debate. AI may be a powerful tool, but it's no match for the human spirit. As long as there are storytellers like Chris —writers who pour their hearts and souls into their work — the magic of storytelling will endure.
