M. Night Shyamalan says using generative AI for story ideas would steal something from him as a filmmaker. He laid out that view on Oct. 9, 2026, in a YouTube video, answering a question from a Villanova University student about his thoughts on AI in filmmaking.
It definitely seemed like Shyamalan had thought about this subject a lot, and he considered his answer with the seriousness the topic deserves. The filmmaker approached it as a “deep philosophical” question.
Shyamalan began his answer by relating it to something he remembered from his time as showrunner for the TV series Servant. He said one of the directors he’d hired asked him where they should put the camera for a shot. He didn’t tell them where, because if he did put the camera where he thought it should be, it would have stolen that choice from the director.
Whatever Shyamalan might have told them, it would have been the wrong answer because it didn’t come from the director. Even if Shyamalan’s choice had been “empirically” better, it would have been wrong, and the vocabulary of the episode they were directing would have been inconsistent.
He went on to say that it’s the strengths and weaknesses of a filmmaker that make them who they are as a storyteller. He spoke about his own work and a story he’s writing, saying “it’s limited, because I’m limited.” But working through those limitations is an opportunity, and he said he could use generative AI to give him ideas for his story, but then he would be stealing that opportunity from himself.
He then summed up that thought by saying AI “will raise the floor and lower the ceiling.”
