Artificial Intelligence

I Asked AI To Write Series 14 of Doctor Who. Here’s the Results.

AI is the hot topic issue of the day. But just how creative can it be? And is it capable of writing for a show as complex as the BBC’s Doctor Who?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere these days. Or at least, people’s worries about artificial intelligence are everywhere. Current perceived wisdom is that AI is now capable of producing beautiful music, winning the Booker Prize, and making movies that would make Citizen Kane look like the work of Ed Wood. It is, of course, nonsense. Whilst AI is highly capable, it is prone to frequent mistakes and needs extensive work from humans to edit its frequently incorrect and repetitive output.

But whilst we may not quite be into the realm of science fiction yet, just how capable is AI of generating creative content? I decided to find out.

As, somewhat ironically, a science fiction fan myself, I’m immensely looking forward to the forthcoming revitalisation of the iconic British TV show Doctor Who. Featuring the travels of a mysterious time traveller known only as The Doctor, Doctor Who will celebrate its 60th anniversary later this year with the return of the popular David Tennant to the lead role. Tennant’s return will be short-lived and seemingly something of an olive branch to fans after the controversial run of Chris Chibnall as showrunner. Chibnall, who left the show at the end of last season, had inserted many controversial ideas into the ongoing narrative, with ratings plummeting.

Once David Tennant’s three specials are done, 30-year-old Ncuti Gatwa will take over the lead role for Series 14, starring alongside Millie Gibson, who’ll play companion Ruby Tuesday. The season will be hugely important for the future of the show, so just how would artificial intelligence handle it?

Giving leading AI text generator ChatGPT some information about the series, including who the cast and crew are, I the asked it to generate episode titles, synopses, a series arc, and cast suggestions for an eight-episode Series 14. The results are impressive.