Overview
- Paul Schrader delivered a keynote at AI on the Lot on Thursday and used ChatGPT, which he nicknamed “Alex Indigo,” to generate a Schrader‑style treatment called “The Collection Agent.”
- Schrader argued that wholly AI‑generated protagonists — not hybrid human/AI figures — could win audience empathy and make money, and he predicted studios could craft repeatable synthetic stars.
- He proposed practical uses for AI in production, including reviving classic TV/IP, automating music for simple scores, and replacing background extras with synthetic performers.
- The remarks provoked strong negative reaction from some peers and contrasted with studio AI leaders like Amazon MGM's Albert Cheng, who publicly favors hybrid models that keep a large human component.
- Performers' union SAG‑AFTRA has secured contract language that bars studios from replacing human performers with synthetic ones unless the synthetic use provides “significant additional value,” a guardrail that will shape how quickly studios can adopt Schrader's ideas.