Seth Rogen: Screenwriters Using AI Should Find Different Work
Seth Rogen said screenwriters who rely on AI to draft material aren't actually writing and should pursue other careers. The actor and filmmaker made the comments at the Cannes Film Festival on May 14 while discussing the new animated film Tangles, which he produced with his wife Lauren Miller Rogen.
"If your instinct is to use AI and not go through that process, you shouldn't be a writer," Rogen said. "Go do something else."
Rogen, 44, dismissed the appeal of AI as a writing tool. "I think the idea of a tool that makes me write less is not appealing to me," he said. "I like writing."
The Creative Process Matters
Sarah Leavitt, whose 2010 memoir inspired Tangles, reinforced Rogen's point from an educator's perspective. Leavitt teaches creative writing and said she tells students that "one of the things AI can't do is go through the creative process."
She noted the production of Tangles took a decade - a timeline that reflected the actual work of creation, not just output. "You're not just creating a product that's done, you're going through the process of figuring it out," Leavitt said.
Lauren Miller Rogen, 44, added that AI systems are limited by their inputs. "It's only what's fed into it," she said. "And I don't know how you could ever feed in what we went through."
Hand-Drawn as Counterpoint
Tangles uses hand-drawn animation - a deliberate choice that contrasts with AI-generated content. "Every frame has a human touch to it, which is great," Rogen said.
The film premiered at Cannes on May 14 with a voice cast including Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Sarah Silverman, and Bowen Yang.
Why This Matters for Writers
Rogen's comments reflect a broader tension in the creative industry. For writers considering AI for Writers, the core question centers on whether the tool serves the craft or replaces it.
Understanding what generative AI and LLM systems actually do - and their limitations - helps writers make informed decisions about their own work.
The Rogens have been vocal about their personal stakes in storytelling. They founded Hilarity for Charity in 2012 for Alzheimer's awareness and produced the 2025 documentary Taking Care, inspired by caring for Lauren's mother, who was diagnosed with genetic early-onset Alzheimer's at age 55.
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