London cinema drops AI-written film after backlash

Soho's Prince Charles Cinema dropped the screening after "strong concerns" by the audience

A central London cinema has cancelled a private screening of a film which was entirely written using artificial intelligence (AI) following a public backlash.

The Prince Charles Cinema in Soho was due to host the world premiere of The Last Screenwriter, which was created by ChatGPT, on Sunday.

However, when concerns were raised by people about "the use of AI in place of a writer", the cinema announced that the screening had been axed.

In a statement shared on Instagram, it said the response by its customers "speaks to a wider issue within the industry".

Created by Peter Luisi, the movie has been marketed as the "first feature film written entirely by AI".

It follows a celebrated screenwriter called Jack who finds his world shaken when he encounters a cutting-edge AI scriptwriting system.

After initially being sceptical, Jack realises the AI matches his skills and surpasses his empathy and understanding of human emotions.

The people behind the production have said they "wanted to find out if artificial intelligence is able to write an entire feature film and how good this film would be if produced by a professional team".

In a statement, the Prince Charles Cinema said it had been told the film "was an 'experiment in filmmaking' by a filmmaker hoping to engage in the discussion about AI and its negative impact on the arts.

"The film's content reflected this, so the hire team took the booking."

It explained the screening was subsequently cancelled following feedback which "highlighted the strong concern held by many of our audience on the use of AI in place of a writer".

"Our decision is rooted in our passion for movies and listening to those who support what we do," the cinema added.

The use of AI featured as a central point of contention in the strike by the US actors' union Sag-Aftra last year, which brought much of Hollywood to a standstill.

It continues to be a major concern for many in the entertainment industry, with programmes like ChatGPT relying heavily on copyrighted material for their development.

The issue has now made its way to the UK government's in-tray, with MPs calling for interventions to ensure artists receive fair compensation when their work is used by AI developers.