THE -ETHICIST STUDENT- TAP : A.I. WORKS [Q]

I WORK as a screenwriter. Is it all right if I use A.I.? : I write for television, both series and movies.

Much of my work is historical or fact-based, and I have found that researching with ChatGPT makes Googling feel like driving to the library, combing the card catalog, ordering books and waiting weeks for them to arrive.

THIS NEW TOOL has been a game changer for me. Then I began feeding ChatGPT my scripts and asking for feedback.

The notes on consistency, clarity, and narrative build were extremely helpful. Recently I went one step further : I asked it to write a couple of scenes.

In seconds, they appeared - quick paced, emotional, funny, driven by a propulsive heartbeat, with dialogues that sounded like real people talking.

With a few tweaks, I could drop them straight into a screenplay. So what ethical line would I be crossing? Would it be plagiarism? Theft, Misrepresentation?

I wonder what you think. [ Name Withheld ]

The answer from Professor Kwame Anthony Appiah appears in the days ahead. The World Students Society thanks The New York Times.