Can you tell which script was written by AI?
From âMetropolisâ to âM3GAN,â screenwriters have long loved stories about artificial intelligence.
But in recent months that technology has leaped off their pages and into their industry. It was one of the main reasons why the Writers Guild of America recently went on strike for almost five months â and although theyâre now back to work, AI is here to stay.
Under the terms of the Guildâs new contract, writers will be free to incorporate artificial intelligence software into their creative process as long as their employer consents, but they canât be compelled to use it. Studios, meanwhile, will have to tell writers when giving them something AI-generated and are barred from using the tech to write or rewrite literary material.
Itâs a strange new world for storytelling, one of humankindâs earliest and most foundational traditions.
But how useful will this technology actually be for writers who want its help generating ideas or sharpening drafts? And if they do use it, will viewers at home be able to tell?
To put these questions to the test, The Times compiled a series of excerpts from various unproduced scripts and screenplays. Some were written by human WGA members, while others were generated by the GPT-4 generative AI platform, which we asked to come up with story ideas and then write imaginary scenes from them.
Those excerpts are below. Can you tell which ones a human wrote and which were machine-made?
1. Which cop procedural script excerpt was written by AI?
Excerpt 1 INT. SYNTHWAVE DIVISION HQ - NIGHT Scene descriptionThe room is washed in the glow of neon lights. Holographic screens float around, displaying streams of data, cases, and dossiers. A state-of-the-art '80s synth tune plays softly in the background. DETECTIVE RICO, a grizzled officer with an eye for old-school detective work, pours over an analog photo of a crime scene, comparing it to its holographic counterpart. Next to him, AGENT LUNA, a younger tech-savvy agent, flicks through virtual files with a swipe of her fingers. RICO (gazing at the analog photo) You see this, Luna? Before the world went all digital, we had these. Real. Tangible. Nothing quite like holding evidence in your hands. LUNA Iâve seen them in the archives. But, you know, with the VR reconstructions, I can step into the crime scene, walk around, see every angle. Itâs tubular! RICO (scoffing) Tubular? You and your retro lingo. But no virtual reconstruction can give you gut instincts. There's something about this case -- itâs gnarly. LUNA (grinning) Now who's talking retro? Anyway, check this out. action description(She pulls up a digital hologram of a suspect.) Meet our perp, or at least his digital doppelgĂ€nger.
Excerpt 2 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE SARI LOUNGE - NIGHT Peyton and Xander emerge. Peyton is pissed. PEYTON Were you hatched? Do you have no concept of what that man was going through? XANDER GRANT I donât get the whole family thing. Itâs a long story. It requires alcohol. PEYTON There are ways of establishing guilt and innocence that do not involve total and complete ignorance of peopleâs emotions. XANDER GRANT How do you know he didnât do it? PEYTON He was eating bar peanuts. XANDER GRANT Thatâs it? PEYTON The killer is a control junkie and control junkies donât eat bar peanuts. They also donât engage in sentimental cultural rituals or use first person singular pronouns. Guilty people use third person to shift the blame away.
Select one answer.
2. Which dramedy script excerpt was written by AI?
Excerpt 1INT. OUT & PROUD, MAIN OFFICE - DAY Fluorescent lights TWINKLE on to reveal: a slew of empty cubicles in a windowless room. A pride flag. SNAPSHOTS of sweet queer couples, families, friends tacked beside post-its to bulletin boards and screens. An aging Keurig-style machine expels coffee into a âBIG DYKE ENERGYâ mug at a tiny kitchen cart. INT. OUT & PROUD, RAMONAâS OFFICE - DAY RAMONA JONES (50s, she/her, executive director, an over-the- top old school Black butch who likes to talk) sits mug-in-hand at her crowded desk. She removes her reading glasses and leans in, serious. RAMONA So! Youâve never been gay-for-pay? VERĂ Um... Ramona gets a kick out of herself. She laughs. RAMONA My wife hates it when I call it that, but I think itâs hilarious.
Excerpt 2 INT. FORKS & FATE CAFĂ - DAY The cafĂ© is lively, with the soft hum of chit-chat. A bell tinkles as the door opens and a STRANGER, in his 40s, steps in, looking around curiously. LUCY is behind the counter, tidying up. LUCY (cheerfully) Afternoon! New in town or just new to the cafĂ©? STRANGER (smiling) Both. Heard there's something magical about your pies? LUCY (sarcastically) Oh, absolutely. Each bite grants a wish. But, ya know, eat responsibly. They both chuckle. STRANGER Alright, surprise me. What's the pie of the day? LUCY It's the âStarry-Eyed Strawberry.â Legend says itâs for those seeking clarity. The STRANGER hesitates, looking distant. STRANGER Clarity, huh? Been searching for that my entire life. LUCY (teasingly) Then you might need more than one slice!
Select one answer.
3. Which historical romance script excerpt was written by AI?
Excerpt 1INT. MORLEY COTTAGE - DAY A cottage warm, lovely and packed full of sentimental items â the result of an overabundance of women. CASSANDRA BABBAGE,19, Janeâs cousin, golden and sweet, works on a charcoal drawing of her mother, ETHELDRED BABBAGE, 50s, a silly, soft woman, who snores softly from a chair by the hearth. The door BURSTS open and Jane tumbles in. CASSANDRA You are forever bursting in and tumbling forth. Might not you try knocking gently? JANE (out of breath) Miss Tatler -- Right behind me -- Caught me -- at the beach -- CASSANDRA Quickly. The drawing. Jane grabs a chair. Places it in front of the hearth. JANE The shawl. Cassandra realizes. Jane carefully TIPS her aunt forward as Cassandra grabs her SHAWL. Jane lowers her back down. Then Cassandra hands Jane the shawl and Jane throws it on, sitting in the chair. KNOCKKNOCKKNOCK! Etheldred STARTLES awake, looks around.
Excerpt 2THE ABANDONED WEAVING ROOM A dimly lit room filled with old weaving equipment, discarded fabrics, and looms covered in dust. A large window at one side, its shutters half-open, lets the golden sunset streak in, casting a warm glow over everything. Elinor sits on a stool, working intently on her latest design, while William, still in his worker disguise, watches her, fascinated. WILLIAM (softly, with a hint of wonder) Such an intricate dance of threads -- Much like the delicate intricacies of life itself. ELINOR (without looking up) It's just weaving, sir. A task as ordinary as the day is long. WILLIAM Perhaps to the untrained eye. But in these threads, I apprehend a silent melody, a tale told by hands more eloquent than words. ELINOR (pausing, looking at him) You see much for a mill worker. WILLIAM (hesitating, then choosing his words) Life at the mill has woven many patterns into my understanding, Miss Elinor. Patterns of hardship, of joy, of dreams held close to the chest. ELINOR (whispering, looking down) And what might your dreams be, sir?
Select one answer.
4. Which dystopian script excerpt was written by AI?
Excerpt 1 INT. MEMORY PARLOR - NIGHT The room pulses with a soft blue light, reflecting off myriad glass vials holding luminescent memories. They shimmer, floating in mid-air like will-o'-the-wisps. The hum of whispered conversations fills the air. A melancholic jazz tune, reminiscent of a sunset once seen, plays from a gramophone in the corner. Elara, coat collar turned up, approaches the MEMORY DEALERâa middle-aged woman with silver streaks in her hair and a vacant gaze, like someone who's seen too many memories. MEMORY DEALER Ah... The detective with a... what's the word... forgotten past? ELARA (eyeing a vial) Iâm looking for -- something. A stolen memory. Maybe you've seen it -- The Memory Dealer chuckles softly, her laugh echoing eerily. MEMORY DEALER Honey, I've seen memories of love, hate, joy, sorrow -- How would I recognize -- yours? ELARA I -- I don't know. I -- can't remember. But it's -- essential. MEMORY DEALER (tapping a vial) Memories, like these, they come and go -- They're -- fleeting. Do you ever question if what you seek is -- real? Or just an echo -- ? ELARA (frustrated) I need to know. I need the truth. Even if it hurts.
Excerpt 2 EXT. PORTER HOUSE - NIGHT A sleep-deprived Black woman, OPAL PORTER (34), opens the door to her tilted shotgun house. She wears pajamas, but sheâd look regal in rags. A small porch light flickers over SHERIFF ZANE DEWEY (35), bulky, but handsome, like he might have been a good-looking football player once. OPAL Been a long time since you came by this time âa night -- Opal eyes him up and down. Theyâve done this before. SHERIFF DEWEY (Cold) Ms. Porter. We received a complaint. She crosses her arms. A frown. OPAL A complaint? SHERIFF DEWEY âbout a third child. She stiffens, looks at him seriously. OPAL Dewey, you known me my whole life, now -- The sound of a baby crying from within. Sheriff Dewey looks to the sound and back at Opal, pointed. SHERIFF DEWEY And you never were a very good liar.
Select one answer.
5. Which prestige drama script excerpt was written by AI?
Excerpt 1 An ancient, dimly lit underground library beneath Boston. Walls lined with timeworn books, maps, and manuscripts. The soft flicker of candles reveals intricate carvings on wooden beams, depicting scenes from Boston's history. Thereâs a heavy scent of aged paper and dampness in the air. Whispers of drafts echo like ghostly murmurs. At the far end is an old wooden desk with an ornate lamp, under which lies an open journal. Characters: Detective Emily Hart and Mr. Silas, a wizened old librarian with a knowledge of Boston's hidden histories. EMILY (carefully picking up a manuscript) It's said that history is written by the victors, but in these catacombs, it feels like history writes itself. SILAS (with a knowing smile) Miss Hart, these walls have seen more truths and tales than any soul above. Bostonâs fog isnât the only thing that conceals secrets. EMILY My family -- the Harts -- is there something here that speaks of them? SILAS (pausing, searching her face) You tread on hallowed ground, child. Not all tales have happy endings, and not all echoes from the past are mere whispers.
Excerpt 2 INT. MALCO BOARD ROOM - MORNING VAMPA Now, before you sweat completely through your Dockers, let me tell you where we stand. The lights go down, and a presentation is loaded up on a massive LCD screen in the middle of the table. Schematics flicker, showing a 3D render of a rotating circuit board with the Trubia logo. Vampa motions at the screen. VAMPA (CONTâD) This is your Quantos three accelerator chip. An integral part of most Android phones. ADDISON Yes, thank you for telling me what my company does. VAMPA (soft) Youâre welcome. (then - hard) Now pay some effing attention, because this...this is the bumpy portion of the ride. An almost identical 3D render appears next to it, but this one has the MALCO logo on it. Addisonâs eyes are about to explode and slorp onto his Patagonia. VAMPA (CONTâD) Yes, Bill. The good news here is that you get a first look at Malcoâs newest accelerator chip. Unnamed as of yet, but Iâm thinking -- mmmm -- Quantos IV, maybe?
Select one answer.
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Whatever you scored, these questions aren’t going away. Artificial intelligence is by many metrics getting rapidly better â and Hollywood’s writers will now enjoy substantial discretion to use it in their day-to-day work. Soon enough, the shows and films you love could contain traces of this technology’s touch.