How would AI change screenwriting programs in Universities? Or, to be precise – how is AI changing them today? One of my professors and colleagues, Fabio Montanari, explores this topic through his AI and screenwriting research. I attended his workshop, and we had a fantastic discussion about it. During my school years, some professors encouraged us to use it as a tool, others saw AI as evil, and some weren’t unaware of AI’s existence or did not care. The screenwriting program must adapt because AI brings a tectonic shift in everything, whether you like that or not.

In screenwriting, there are many things that you can use AI for – to do an outline, to get feedback, to ask how AI see your script in terms of the Hero’s journey or 3 Act structure. You can test ideas or ask AI to find the best production companies for your script, help you make a pitch deck or do a million other things. So, from a York University perspective (I am using York as I don’t know what other Universities do), what should the curriculum look like? Should every screenwriting course have implemented AI somehow, or should they have separate AI classes, Fabio asked.

In my opinion, most screenwriting classes should have at least one AI module. They can show what it can do, teach students how to use it to improve/make their projects, and explain why it is not always the best solution for whatever you do with it. Screenwriting students at York can take many electives, and as of last year, School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design York had a new program, Creative Technologies, that covers AI and creating with AI. I am sure other programs will follow and update courses to reflect the new reality.