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The new show from Vince Gilligan, Pluribus, premiered on Apple TV this week. If you've checked out the sci-fi drama, you may have noticed a disclaimer that the whole production involved humans, not AI. That's for good reason, as Gilligan despises the technology, and wants everyone to know it wasn’t needed.
During the end credits, you can see a line in a screen dedicated to miscellaneous thanks: "This show was made by humans." It's right at the bottom, and while it may seem like a clever little joke for a series about mankind itself, it also springs from Gilligan grinding his axe against AI assistance.
"I hate AI. AI is the world's most expensive and energy-intensive plagiarism machine," he tells Variety. "I think there’s a very high possibility that this is all a bunch of horseshit."
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The creator of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul views the entire AI bubble as just that, pushed by snake oil salesmen who only want to increase their wealth. "It's basically a bunch of centibillionaires whose greatest life goal is to become the world’s first trillionaires," he muses. "I think they're selling a bag of vapor."
Whether or not that’s true, there's been a gradual mainstreaming of generative technology in movie and TV creation. 2023 horror hit Late Night with the Devil took some heat for using AI for some effects shots, and Marvel's Secret Invasion controversially used the tech in the opening credits.
Usage isn't particularly widespread yet, but there's enough that creatives are willfully rejecting it. Of the many ways Gilligan has influenced the televisual landscape, encouraging shows to disclose they're human all the way down might just be another.
The first two episodes of Pluribus, starring Rhea Seehorn as one of the few remaining people on Earth who escapes assimilation into a hive mind, are available on Apple TV now.
You can find out more in our Pluribus season 1 review, and make sure to keep our guide to the Pluribus release schedule handy so you never miss an episode.
