Writers will lose to AI

It’s a cliché of publishing that men over the age of 40 only read military history. In my case it’s not entirely true: I still occasionally squeeze in the odd novel, some politics, even poetry if I’ve drunk too much sweet wine. But it’s true enough that my mind is probably over-furnished with historical-military examples, metaphors, and allusions. And for the last week I’ve been trying to find the correct analogy, from the annals of war, to characterise the battle recently joined by the Writers Guild of America.

For anyone that has missed this particular strike, amidst our own melancholy roster of industrial actions, here’s the skinny: as of 2 May 2023 all the screenwriters of the USA, from east coast to west, from gag-smiths to dramaturgists, have downed pencils, pens, laptops, and refused to write a single extra word for ‘the studios’.

Given that screenwriting in America is practically a closed shop – you can’t write for Hollywood unless you’re a member of the WGA – the effects of this stoppage have been instant, and will be impressive. Late night US chat shows – like Stephen Colbert, and Jimmy Fallon, which rely on new material generated daily – have already gone dark.