Paul Schrader, writer of ‘Taxi Driver,’ admits AI is better at generating film ideas than people
by Ilana Gordon
After enjoying a five-decades-long career as a film critic, director, and screenwriter, Paul Schrader has come to the conclusion that AI is better at writing movies than humans.
For a certain subset of the population, Schrader is most recognizable as the pen behind Martin Scorsese projects like Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), and The Last Temptation of Christ (1988). For a younger demographic, he is best known for directing the erotic thriller The Canyons (2013), written by Bret Easton Ellis and starring Lindsay Lohan and James Deen (of adult film fame).
On Jan. 17, 2025, Schrader took to Facebook to announce “I’M STUNNED.” He elaborated: “I just asked chatgpt for “an idea for Paul Schrader film.” Then Paul Thomas Anderson. Then Quentin Tarantino. Then Harmony Korine. Then Ingmar Bergman. Then Rossellini. Lang. Scorsese. Murnau. Capra. Ford. Speilberg. Lynch. Every idea chatgpt came up with (in a few seconds) was good. And original. And fleshed out.”
Schrader ended his post by asking why “writers sit around for months searching for a good idea when AI can provide one in seconds?” and he got quite the response to his query. Concerns were raised about AI having hacked his Facebook page, but mostly people agreed that ChatGPT primarily functions as a new type of search engine, aggregating already existing content and concepts.