This article digs into Seth Rogen’s blunt remarks at Cannes about AI in scriptwriting, his defense of good old-fashioned creativity, and what it all means for the entertainment industry as AI keeps creeping into filmmaking and acting.
It also spotlights Rogen’s work on the animated feature Tangles and the Academy’s changing rules about AI’s role in Oscar-eligible performances. The whole thing frames a debate about authorship, craft, and where storytelling might be heading.
Rogen’s stance on AI and scriptwriting
Seth Rogen took the Cannes stage to make his feelings clear: he’s not a fan of AI writing scripts. According to Rogen, anyone leaning on these tools “shouldn’t be a writer.”
He doesn’t see any real creative benefit to AI-generated material. He even called most of it “the most stupid dog shit” he’s ever come across.
Writers who use AI as a shortcut, he says, might want to find a different job. For Rogen, writing—its instincts, quirks, and craft—should stay a human thing.
He genuinely enjoys the writing process. A tool built to take away that labor just isn’t appealing to him.
He sees shortcuts as something that undermines the craft of writing and chips away at what makes original storytelling valuable.
Why he values the writing process
Rogen insists he’s not anti-tech for the sake of it. He’s just defending the creative process that makes stories worth telling in the first place.
He believes that the magic—character, dialogue, pacing, voice—comes out of real work and revision, not from some algorithm. For someone who’s spent years writing and producing, he’s convinced authenticity and craft just can’t be faked by a machine.
AI’s growing footprint in entertainment
AI in Hollywood is getting harder to ignore as the tech improves and studios experiment with it in all sorts of production stages. The Academy recently updated its rules, tightening how AI can be used in acting performances that qualify for Oscars.
This move signals a shift toward stricter limits on AI-generated or AI-assisted performances. There’s a bigger worry here: how do you keep authorship and credit intact when new tools start to blur the lines?
Implications for writers, actors, and producers
With AI creeping into more corners of the creative process, people are asking tough questions about copyright, credit, and who gets paid what. The industry feels torn—should it chase efficiency or protect the soul of human creativity?
Most creators seem to agree that authorship ought to stay human. The rules will have to keep up as AI’s role in the process grows.
Tangles: a case study in creative collaboration
At Cannes, Rogen’s also out there promoting Tangles, an animated film he’s producing. Leah Nelson directs, and the voice cast is stacked: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Abbi Jacobson, Bryan Cranston, Sarah Silverman, Bowen Yang, Wanda Sykes, Beanie Feldstein, and Samira Wiley.
This project shows what happens when big creative teams work together and keep artistry at the center, even as tech keeps evolving in the background. It’s a look at how people can use AI tools without letting them take over the story.
AI considerations in animation production
Sure, AI can speed up certain production steps, but Rogen keeps coming back to this: storytelling voice and narrative judgment need to come from real people. In animation, AI might help with workflow, but the narrative arc and the emotional punch of the characters usually depend on writers, directors, and actors who bring their own life and perspective to the table.
Key takeaways for the industry
- Authorship and craft are central — AI shouldn’t replace human storytelling skill and judgment.
- Policy evolves with practice — the Academy’s guidelines show a cautious approach to AI in performances and recognition.
- Creativity over shortcuts — keeping the writing process intact is good for audiences and creators.
- Industry-wide dialogue — writers, actors, producers, and technologists all need to hash out fair use, credits, and compensation.
Looking ahead
AI tools keep getting smarter, and the entertainment industry keeps figuring out where they fit with creativity and authorship. Seth Rogen’s take really makes you pause and think about what makes storytelling feel so human.
Can the craft evolve without losing the heart of what makes it special? That’s the real question, and honestly, it’s not an easy one.
Here is the source article for this story: Seth Rogen: If You Use AI to Write Scripts ‘You Shouldn’t Be a Writer’