• News

Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan calls AI a 'plagiarism machine'

Gilligan describes AI as 'a lot of horseshit' in a new interview.

Donovan Erskine

October 5, 2023 3:20 PM

Variety

7

Vince Gilligan is most known for creating the iconic series Breaking Bad, but has had a prolific career across film and television since the early 1990s. Like the rest of Hollywood’s writers, Gilligan is returning to work after the 148-day WGA strike. In some of his first public comments since the strike’s end, Gilligan slammed artificial intelligence and ChatGPT, calling it a “plagiarism machine” and a “marvel of marketing.”

Vince Gilligan was speaking with Variety in a recent interview when the subject of AI in Hollywood came up. For those unfamiliar, the use and implementation of AI in the writing process was a major sticking point in the negotiations between the Writers Guild of America and the AMPTP. Gilligan didn’t mince any words when asked about the technology and its impact on his profession.

In the newly signed WGA deal, writers secured a number of protections against AI, including the rule that AI can’t be used to write or rewrite literary material. As the conversation around artificial intelligence continues to grow and evolve, we’ll continue to report on its industry impact.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_