Nowadays, every other day, someone comes to me asking if I can assist them with their AI-written screenplay. They offer the bare minimum, believing that the screenplay is already “ready” and just needs polishing. More often than not, these are people who want to write a screenplay but don’t know how assuming that AI reduces the cost. The reality? It doesn’t. I’m not against using AI—it can be a helpful tool, but relying on it entirely to write a screenplay comes with serious drawbacks.
Using AI to write a screenplay has become increasingly popular, especially among aspiring writers who see it as a shortcut. AI can assist in structuring a script, generating dialogue, and even analyzing storytelling patterns. However, AI-driven screenwriting still has major limitations. From emotional depth and originality to industry acceptance and legal concerns, AI-generated screenplays often fall short. In this article, I’ll break down the key issues that arise when using AI to write a screenplay and why human creativity remains irreplaceable.
1. AI Lacks Emotional Depth and Human Experience
Writing a compelling screenplay isn’t just about structuring scenes it’s about conveying raw human emotions. Using AI to write a screenplay might speed up the process, but it doesn’t replace the depth of human experiences. AI doesn’t feel joy, pain, love, or loss. It can analyze thousands of screenplays and generate something that looks like a script, but it lacks the emotional depth that makes a story truly resonate with audiences.
Take Manchester by the Sea (2016), written by Kenneth Lonergan. The film’s screenplay is filled with deeply emotional moments and an exploration of grief that feels painfully real. That authenticity comes from Lonergan’s personal understanding of loss, something an AI simply cannot replicate. AI-generated scripts may have well-structured dialogue, but they often miss the subtleties of human experience.
2. AI Struggles with Originality and Creativity
AI learns from existing content, which means its scripts often feel derivative. It recognizes patterns and replicates them, leading to predictable plots and recycled tropes. If you feed an AI a database of successful sci-fi films, it might generate a screenplay that includes space battles, time travel, and a dystopian setting but without the creative spark that makes a film stand out.
For example, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), written by Charlie Kaufman, is a screenplay that breaks storytelling conventions with its nonlinear structure and philosophical depth. An AI might attempt something similar, but it would likely lack the originality and layered themes that made Kaufman’s script so impactful. This is one of the key reasons why relying entirely on using AI to write a screenplay is risky it can produce something that looks professional but lacks fresh, innovative storytelling.
3. Copyright and Legal Concerns
One of the biggest legal issues surrounding AI-generated scripts is copyright. AI models are trained on existing screenplays, raising the question: when an AI writes a script, is it truly original, or is it just a remixed version of copyrighted material?
This has led to concerns within the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the broader film industry. If a studio produces an AI-generated script, who owns the rights? The developer of the AI? The studio? Or the person who provided the AI’s prompts? These questions remain legally unclear.
Entertainment lawyer Jonathan Handel explains, “AI-generated content challenges traditional copyright laws. If a machine creates a script, determining ownership becomes a gray area.” Until legal frameworks catch up, using AI to write a screenplay remains a legally uncertain practice that could lead to disputes.
4. Weak Subtext and Artificial Dialogue
Great screenwriting isn’t just about what characters say it’s about what they don’t say. Subtext is a crucial part of dialogue, and AI struggles with it. AI-generated scripts tend to be overly literal, lacking the nuance that makes conversations feel real.
Consider Before Sunrise (1995), written by Richard Linklater and Kim Krizan. The film’s dialogue is natural, filled with unspoken emotions and underlying tension. AI, on the other hand, often produces conversations that feel robotic or on-the-nose because it lacks true understanding of human interaction. This is a major limitation when using AI to write a screenplay, as dialogue plays a crucial role in making characters and relationships feel authentic.
5. Industry Acceptance Remains Low
Hollywood isn’t ready to embrace AI-written screenplays as a serious replacement for human writers. While AI can assist in certain areas such as generating ideas, suggesting dialogue tweaks, or analyzing structure the industry still values the human touch.
A script is a living document that evolves through feedback, rewrites, and collaboration with directors, actors, and producers. AI-generated scripts may provide a starting point, but they lack the flexibility and creative decision-making needed to adapt to real-world filmmaking processes.
Filmmaker Christopher Nolan has expressed skepticism about AI’s role in storytelling, stating, “Stories are about human beings and their experiences. A machine doesn’t live, love, or dream it just processes data.”
This highlights the reality that using AI to write a screenplay may work for drafting, but it doesn’t meet the industry’s expectations for a polished, compelling script.
6. AI is a Tool, Not a Replacement
Despite these drawbacks, AI can still be useful when used correctly. Instead of relying on AI to write an entire screenplay, writers can use it as a brainstorming tool to:
- Generate plot ideas
- Assist with structure analysis
- Offer alternative dialogue suggestions
- Speed up research and character development
However, AI should not replace human creativity. The magic of storytelling comes from lived experiences, unique perspectives, and emotions things that AI, no matter how advanced, cannot truly replicate.
If you want to write a screenplay, you need to treat it like your child something that requires time, care, and attention to every single word and detail. A screenplay isn’t just a collection of scenes; it’s a living, breathing story that needs to be nurtured. Using AI to write a screenplay might seem like a shortcut, but it won’t save you the effort required to make your script truly stand out.
When you take your screenplay to production houses, they will immediately recognize if it was written by AI. Industry professionals know how AI-generated scripts look and feel, and they won’t be impressed by something that lacks originality or emotional depth. At best, they’ll give you notes that will significantly reshape your script. At worst, they’ll reject it outright.
The only way to succeed as a screenwriter is to put in the work rewrite, refine, and craft a story that truly stands out. AI can assist, but it can’t replace the human creativity and dedication that great storytelling demands.
