Duffer Brothers Accused of Using ChatGPT for Final Season of “Stranger Things”
Illustration by Taj Hartmann-Simkins/Future. Source: Jerod Harris / Getty Images for Netflix
Rumors are circulating online that Matt and Ross Duffer used OpenAI’s ChatGPT when producing the final season of “Stranger Things” after fans zoomed in on a still image from a behind-the-scenes documentary that appears to show one of the brothers opening the AI-powered chatbot while working on the script.
“WTF man, now we know why season 5 flopped,” one upset fan of the show wrote on X-Twitter in response.
“One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5,” said Martina Radwan, director of the documentary “One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5.” Hollywood Reporter In a new interview she has never witnessed anyone using ChatGPT in a TV show writer’s room.
“No, of course not,” she said. “I witnessed creative exchanges. I witnessed conversation.”
Of course, the person making a hagiographic documentary about the show’s production for Netflix is probably not the most impartial source in the world. It doesn’t completely close the door on its use either.
“But for me, isn’t it open for everyone to do a quick search?” She cautioned in her hard-to-follow answer to the question.
However, the online controversy and interview show that many people who watch original entertainment don’t want a whiff of AI in their favorite movies or shows, even though some production companies have already made forays into using it, most notably in “de-aging” among actors.
Online controversies erupted when it was discovered that artificial intelligence had been used, including to modify actor Adrien Brody’s Hungarian accent in “The Brutalist” and to create promotional posters for director Alex Garland’s film “Civil War.”
Viewers and industry experts should expect more of these hot spots to erupt as Hollywood bigwigs debate whether to use artificial intelligence.
Some are vehemently opposed to the technology, with director Guillermo del Toro saying he would rather die than use it, but entertainment giants are quickly getting on board. For example, Disney recently signed a $1 billion licensing agreement with OpenAI, which will allow users to play with Disney-owned characters in OpenAI’s Sora video generator.
But the debate is not over yet. Tech companies have already eaten the press’s lunch, and Hollywood may be next on the list.
More about entertainment: OpenAI says it’s making an entire Hollywood movie using AI
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2026-01-14 17:02:00



