As of this writing, it’s been several days since Vince Gilligan’s new show Pluribus premiered — and it's been in the headlines not for the story, or the characters, or the visuals — but because it proudly declares “Made by Humans” in it's credits and because Vince really, really hates AI.
"I Hate Al. Al Is The World's Most Expensive And Energy-Intensive Plagiarism Machine. I Think There's A Very High Possibility That This Is All A Bunch Of Horseshit. It's Basically A Bunch Of Centibillionaires Whose Greatest Life Goal Is To Become The World's First Trillionaires. I Think They're Selling A Bag Of Vapor."
-- Vince Gilligan
In a world where people love to cancel or protest anything they dislike, I’m actually kind of celebrating this. Because every time a big creative name trashes AI, they just keep it in the spotlight. And, selfishly it gives me something to write about!
So, thanks Vince. You’ve probably sent a few hundred thousand people Googling “why does Vince Gilligan hate AI?” — and in the process, you’ve made more people curious about it. And, hopefully some of those people this post.
Still, I can’t help but feel for the people who worked on his show.
The writers, editors, cinematographers — all of them poured months or years of energy into this thing, and instead of talking about their craft, the conversation is stuck on one man’s personal beef. Same with Guillermo del Toro. Two incredibly gifted storytellers who seem to be doing everything they can to distract from their own human made work.
That’s what set me off thinking about the bigger pattern: how every time a new tool shows up, the people at the top of creative industries rush to bad-mouth it? They defend the past instead of shaping what’s next.
Ultimately why Vince hates AI really is irrelevant. The biggest question I care about is which new creatives will step forward to carry the pro-AI mantle?
Who’s the visionary that will help the creative world make this jump instead of blocking it?
History gives us a few examples. Henry Ford didn’t invent the car, he made it something the average person could afford. Steve Jobs didn’t invent computers, he made them more accessible to every day people. They both looked at an awkward, early technology and saw not what it was, but what it could become.
That’s the type of leadership the creative world needs now. Not more gatekeeping, not more fear. Someone who can hold both truths — that art is human, and that technology is how humans evolve.
Okay, so that won't be Vince Gilligan. He’s earned the right to make whatever kind of art he wants. But imagine if someone with his level of cultural trust approached AI with curiosity instead of contempt? If he leaned in instead of digging in. He might become exactly the kind of transitionary figure this moment needs.
Because every generation has its version of this argument. Painters vs. photography. Musicians vs. synthesizers. Writers vs. blogging.
We don’t need another “made by humans” banner. We need someone to show what’s possible when humans and machines collaborate. Someone who can make this shift make sense.
Until then, I’ll keep thanking the people who hate it — because, whether they realize it or not, they’re keeping AI in the conversation. And maybe, just maybe, that’s how the next visionary will find their cue.