ChatGPT Dives Into The World Of 'Succession' — How It Captured The Essence Of The Finale

Recently, OpenAI's ChatGPT Plus was put to the test, as it was tasked with creating a hypothetical scene from the Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. WBD's HBO series "Succession." What unfolded was an intriguing exploration into the artificial intelligence, or AI, chatbot's ability to capture the essence of the show's storytelling.

What Happened: Armed with summaries of the first six episodes of the highly-acclaimed show's fourth season, ChatGPT was ready to predict the outcome of the season finale. Its AI capabilities, however, proved to be far from perfect, reported Insider.

The bot predicted a straightforward, happy ending where the Roy children would gain control of the fictional media conglomerate, Waystar Royco. Insider then asked ChatGPT to write a scene based on this prediction.

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The resulting script was nothing short of a disaster, according to the report. The dialogue lacked the show's signature wit, irony and clever wordplay. The characters spoke with unusual sincerity and directness, stripping away the dysfunctional power dynamics that made "Succession" so compelling, added the report.

The AI-generated script had zero subtext, a stark contrast to the show's excellence in portraying complex relationships. It was clear that the ChatGPT failed to capture the essence of the series.

Why It Matters: Reactions from industry experts were unanimous who felt the AI-generated script was an insult to the art of screenwriting.

Jim Burnstein, a screenwriting professor at the University of Michigan, was appalled, calling the script "insulting" and suggesting it be discarded immediately. He believed that even "a bunch of monkeys" could write "Hamlet" better than ChatGPT could handle "Succession."

Neil Landau, a screenwriting professor and WGA member, told Insider that the script was "pure drivel" and "just god awful."

Oliver Thornton, an Emmy-winning screenwriter and screenwriting professor, concurred with Landau's assessment. Thornton told Insider that the script failed to play against audience expectations, an integral element of the show's appeal.

This experiment served as a stark reminder that ChatGPT, despite taking the world of AI by storm, might still be far from being able to replace the creative instincts and expertise of humans.

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