Seth Rogen delivered a blunt message from Cannes: if you use AI to write scripts, you should find another line of work.
Speaking to Brut at the Cannes Film Festival, Rogen dismissed the idea that artificial intelligence belongs at the heart of storytelling. He said he does not understand what the technology is supposed to do in the creative process, especially when it comes to writing stories and screenplays. His remarks cut straight into one of entertainment’s most sensitive fault lines as studios, creators, and audiences argue over where automation ends and authorship begins.
“If you use AI to write your stories or scripts, then you shouldn’t be a writer. Go do something else.”
Rogen’s comments also push back against a growing stream of social media claims that AI will remake Hollywood overnight. Reports indicate he referenced the flood of online posts warning that the industry is “cooked,” a phrase now shorthand for fears that algorithms could replace human craft. Rogen’s answer was simple: writing is the work. Strip that away, and the role itself starts to collapse.
Key Facts
- Seth Rogen spoke about AI in filmmaking during an interview with Brut at Cannes.
- He said people who use AI to write stories or scripts “shouldn’t be a writer.”
- Rogen also said he does not understand what AI is supposed to do in the writing process.
- His remarks add to the wider entertainment industry debate over AI and creative labor.
The timing matters. Hollywood still faces deep uncertainty over how AI tools will affect screenwriting, production, and ownership of creative work. Rogen did not offer a technical roadmap or policy prescription, but he did something else: he stated a clear cultural position. For him, writing does not sit beside the job; it defines it. That view will likely resonate with many creators who see AI not as a helper, but as a challenge to the value of original human expression.
What happens next will unfold far beyond one festival interview. As AI tools spread and studios test new workflows, pressure will grow on filmmakers, unions, and executives to decide what counts as assistance and what counts as replacement. Rogen’s comments sharpen that choice. The larger fight now turns on a basic question with real consequences for Hollywood’s future: who gets to call themselves the writer when a machine does the writing?