--- title: "Fury Erupts at Suggestion of Using ChatGPT to Replace Striking Writers" description: "In response to the Writer's Guild strike, a guy wants people know to that writing work doesn't matter anymore — ChatGPT can just do it. Nice." date: "2023-05-04" modified: "2023-05-04" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/fury-chatgpt-replace-writers" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "OpenAI" tags: - "ai" - "automation" - "job automation" - "the digest" --- # Fury Erupts at Suggestion of Using ChatGPT to Replace Striking Writers ![In response to the Writer's Guild strike, a guy wants people know to that writing work doesn't matter anymore — ChatGPT can just do it. Nice.]() *LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 02: People picket outside of Paramount Pictures on the first day of the Hollywood writers strike on May 2, 2023 in Los Angeles. Scripted TV series, late-night talk shows, film and streaming productions are being interrupted by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike. In 2007 and 2008, a WGA strike shut down Hollywood productions for 100 days, costing the local economy between $2 billion and $3 billion. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) \Image: Getty Images/David McNew\* ## Sucks Twitter was in ablaze this week when in response to the [ongoing Writer's Guild strike](), a guy decided to let the people know that writing work doesn't matter anymore, actually. ChatGPT can just do it. "Oh no. A writer's strike. Whatever shall we do," [tweeted]() a user who goes by the moniker "powerbottomdad1." "If only there was some kind of machine that could endlessly pump out textual content so we didn't have to rely on these flaky humans." Unsurprisingly, this unceremonious tweet from powerbottomdad1 — who's notably followed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman — struck a chord with folks who value human labor and creative processes. (Also, asking to be compensated fairly for your work when it's purchased by and viewed on streaming platforms isn't really being "flaky," but we digress.) "Love referring to scripts and screenplays as 'textual content,'" [wrote]() one perturbed Twitter user. "Based on this person's username I'm inclined to believe they're trolling \*however\* this opinion is mega common amongst ppl in tech," [tweeted]() another. "I'm confused as to what type of ideal world this argument is fighting for." "A lot of points to be made here," someone else [chimed in](). "But where the fuck do you people think bots like ChatGPT generate their content from? They're amalgamating thousands of human-written scripts into what is essentially a mad lib based on your prompt." ## Points Made Gotta say: all of these angered netizens have a point. On its face, of course, there's the sheer callousness of the comment, which doesn't exactly offer much sympathy to folks who might [lose their jobs to automation](). Even Goldman Sachs tried to soften the blow when they estimated that about [300 million jobs]() stand to go the way of the AI in the not-so-distant future. Also, as another user suggested, referring to creative writing as "textual content" is wildly depressing. Even *if* a robot can churn out a passable script — already a far-fetched assumption with today's tech — a lot of folks seem to have forgotten that humans aren't robots, and the creative process isn't just about making as much content as possible. Or it shouldn't be, at least. When it is, we get things like Netflix's "The Gray Man" and Amazon Studios' "Citadel." And given the fact that these machines are taught to mimic human stories by mixing and regurgitating machine-free human work, plagiarism is definitely a concern when it comes to replacing human scriptwriters, too. Sadly, though, considering that the strikers' demands regarding protection from AI demands were [struck down](), the studios just may go down this road. **More on automation:** [*IBM Replacing 7,800 Human Jobs with AI, Including Human Resources*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()