Seth Rogen: Writers Using AI for Scripts Shouldn't Be Writers
Seth Rogen said anyone who uses AI to write scripts should not call themselves a writer. The "The Studio" creator made the comments during an interview at the Cannes Film Festival in May, speaking directly about the technology's role in screenwriting.
"I don't understand what it's supposed to do," Rogen said on Brut's YouTube channel. "If your instinct is to use AI and not go through that process, you shouldn't be a writer, because then you're not writing."
Rogen's position reflects a broader tension in the entertainment industry. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences updated its rules to crack down on AI-generated acting performances in Oscar-eligible films, signaling the industry's concern about the technology's reach.
The Hand of the Artist
Rogen spoke at Cannes as an executive producer of "Tangles," an animated film about families dealing with dementia. Director Leah Nelson chose hand-drawn animation specifically to preserve what she called "the hand of the artists" - a tactile quality she considered essential to the story.
Nelson worked with the Rogens to adapt the source novel while tightening the narrative for film. The process involved starting from reality and then shaping events to serve the story, rather than reproducing every detail.
Rogen also appears in the film as an aspiring musician boyfriend. He recorded off-key vocal covers, including a rendition of Melissa Etheridge's "Come to My Window." The imperfect singing was intentional - meant to make the character "kind of tragic in his own way," Rogen said.
A Personal Project
Lauren Miller Rogen, Seth's wife and a producer on the film, lost her mother to Alzheimer's disease in 2020. At the Cannes premiere, she said she wished her mother could have seen the finished film.
"I would trade the film's success for more time with my mother," Miller Rogen said plainly. She added that she believes her mother would have wanted her to pursue her work and live fully.
The couple has also used their platform to advocate for Alzheimer's research and caregiver support through their nonprofit, Hilarity for Charity.
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