Vince Gilligan's new Apple TV+ show, Pluribus, is taking a public stand against AI in Hollywood, including a "This show was made by humans" disclaimer in its credits, as reported by Deadline. The move serves as a direct statement from the Breaking Bad creator in an industry anxious about AI's role in creative work.
The plagiarism machine: Gilligan has been openly hostile toward generative AI, recently calling the technology "the world's most expensive and energy-intensive plagiarism machine." He compared AI-generated content to "a cow chewing its cud — an endlessly regurgitated loop of nonsense" and offered a sarcastic sign-off to its creators: "Thank you, Silicon Valley! Yet again, you’ve f—ed up the world.”
A post-strike statement: The disclaimer lands in an industry still reeling from the 2023 writer and actor strikes, where protections against AI were a central fight. While many studios are quietly exploring the technology to cut costs, Gilligan is using his platform to draw a clear and public line in the sand.
Gilligan’s move is a direct challenge to the industry's quiet adoption of AI, using his creative capital to force a public conversation about the value of human-led storytelling. The creative journey of Pluribus itself began long before the current AI debate, with Vince Gilligan conceiving of the show's premise nearly a decade ago and later writing the lead role specifically for star Rhea Seehorn.
