Apple TV's new series "Pluribus," created by veteran showrunner Vince Gilligan, has incorporated an explicit "This show was made by humans" disclaimer within its end credits. This unusual message follows Gilligan's direct and public criticism of generative artificial intelligence in the context of creative content production, highlighting a growing debate within the entertainment industry regarding the provenance of creative works.
Gilligan, widely acclaimed for his previous work on hit series "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul," elaborated on his strong position in a recent Variety feature story. He characterized generative AI as "the world's most expensive and energy-intensive plagiarism machine," further describing AI-generated content as "a cow chewing its cud — an endlessly regurgitated loop of nonsense." Gilligan explicitly stated, "I hate AI," and also commented, "Thank you, Silicon Valley! Yet again, you’ve f—ed up the world," signaling a broader critique of technological advancements in creative fields.
The terse "This show was made by humans" disclaimer was conspicuously positioned directly beneath a standard production note regarding animal safety on set. This placement is viewed by industry observers as a deliberate effort to emphasize the production's exclusive reliance on human creative input. The decision by the "Pluribus" production team could establish a significant precedent for other filmmakers and content creators, offering a formal method to distinguish their projects as entirely human-made at a time when the integration of generative AI tools within various media production workflows is rapidly evolving and sparking ethical discussions across the sector.
"Pluribus" marks Gilligan's notable return to the science fiction genre, reuniting him with "Better Call Saul" co-star Rhea Seehorn. Seehorn portrays a romantasy author navigating an alien invasion storyline in the series. The presence of such a disclaimer in a high-profile production on a major streaming platform like Apple TV underscores ongoing industry-wide discussions and potential shifts in consumer perception regarding AI-assisted content. The broader market for creative content faces increasing scrutiny over originality and authorship in an era of advancing AI capabilities.
