According to WIRED, Hollywood is split on artificial intelligence. Some screenwriters, directors, and actors vow never to use AI in their work or collaborate with anyone who does. Others see it as a creative partner and a cost-cutting engine. A rare few, including Ben Affleck, are already making millions from AI's promise to streamline filmmaking. To get a clear picture, WIRED's Katie Drummond interviewed Matt Belloni, founding partner at Puck, a former lawyer who has covered Hollywood for decades.
Two Kinds of AI
Belloni told WIRED there are two types of AI at work in entertainment. Generative AI creates content. Corporate AI streamlines processes and improves search results. According to WIRED, Belloni has said repeatedly that "everyone is doing it" when it comes to corporate AI adoption.
Everyone is doing it. — Matt Belloni, as quoted by WIRED
He described a prominent showrunner who castigated her writing team for not using ChatGPT to help with the creative process — suggesting jokes, scenarios, and building descriptions. Screenwriters use the same tools to propose plot ideas or describe the inside of a building where a scene will take place. "It doesn't mean they use them," Belloni said, but the tools are part of the workflow.
| Dimension | Generative AI | Corporate AI |
|---|---|---|
| Function | Content creation | Process streamlining and search |
| Who uses it | Studios making AI movies, shorts, pilots | Writers' rooms |
| Quality | "Not great," better in animation | Widely adopted |
| Example | AI-generated TV pilots | ChatGPT for joke suggestions |
The Writers Guild's Human-in-the-Loop Rule
The Writers Guild accepts this kind of AI use, according to Belloni, under two conditions: a credited writer must remain on every script, and the process must not impact jobs. That position keeps a human in control while permitting AI-assisted drafting. Generative AI, by contrast, is murkier. Studios are purporting to create AI-generated movies, shorts, and TV pilots. Belloni has seen many and called them "not great." He said the technology works better in animation and that "this is where we're going to see the disruption first."
Ben Affleck's $587 Million Netflix Exit
WIRED asked Belloni whether Hollywood figures side-eyed Ben Affleck after he sold an AI startup to Netflix for $587 million. According to WIRED, Affleck is one of a small group already earning money from AI's potential to improve and speed up filmmaking. Belloni's interview also covered the fight over AI and copyright, intellectual property, and celebrity likeness — topics he is well placed to discuss as a former lawyer. Drummond noted that her conversation with Belloni ranged up to how much control Big Tech companies now wield over entertainment.
The Human Cost
Drummond also pointed readers to Ruth Fowler's recent essay for WIRED, which describes Fowler's move from screenwriter to underemployed LLM trainer. That piece documents what happens when generative AI reduces demand for human writers — a useful counterpoint to the efficiency gains.
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