Hollywood screenwriters are OK with using bots like ChatGPT to write scripts — as long as they still get the credit

The Writer's Guild of America is proposing that screenwriters can use AI tools as long as they get full credit. Reed Saxon/AP

• The Writer's Guild of America is proposing that screenwriters can use ChatGPT for scripts, according to Variety.
• The proposal will allow writers to use AI generators as a tool and still retain credit.
• The guild's proposal was first discussed Monday in a bargaining session with producers, Variety said.

You might soon be watching a movie with dialogue generated by ChatGPT and you wouldn't even have a clue by looking at the credits. 

The Writer's Guild of America (WGA) — a labor union that represents creators who write scripted series, features, news programs, and other content — is proposing that screenwriters should be allowed to use AI tools like ChatGPT to write scripts without having to share credit, Variety reported Monday. 

According to the WGA's proposal, AI-generated material would neither be considered "literary material" nor "source material," Variety said, adding that both of those are "key terms" for assigning writing credits. They also have an impact on residuals, which is compensation for the reuse of a writer's material, according to the WGA. 

"Literary material" refers to stories, screenplays, dialogue, etc produced by a writer while "source material" is the underlying work for an adapted script, whether it's novels, plays or articles on which a screenplay is based, according to the WGA. 

If AI-generated content is not applicable to either category then it cannot be considered a "writer," Variety noted. 

Excluding AI-generated content from being considered "source material" means a screenwriter can adapt a script based on an AI-generated book and receive full credit, or they can refine an AI-generated script for full credit. 

AI could also be used to generate questions in game shows like Jeopardy, Variety noted.

The WGA first discussed its proposal at a bargaining session with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) — which bargains on behalf of motion picture and television producers —  Variety reported, noting that three sources confirmed the proposal. It's not clear whether the AMPTP is receptive to the proposal, Variety said.

The WGA already proposed regulating AI in February amid fears that it would take writers' jobs which maps onto broader concerns amongst knowledge workers that AI will soon replace them. 

The WGA did not immediately respond to Insider's request for a comment.