Hollywood is bracing for an upheaval as a groundbreaking artificial intelligence platform, Showrunner, promises to give audiences the ability to create their own television shows from scratch. Backed by Amazon and developed by the company Fable, the system has been described as “the Netflix of AI,” capable of generating fully animated series from simple text prompts.
With Showrunner, users can craft characters, write scripts, generate voice performances, and even produce musical scores — all with minimal technical expertise. The AI takes care of the heavy lifting, producing content that, in many cases, draws heavily from the styles and structures of existing films and television shows.
Professor Peter Bentley, a computer scientist and AI creativity expert at University College London, called the tool “remarkably quick and easy” to use. However, he also acknowledged its limitations, noting that it excels at derivative works but struggles to produce truly original material.
That hasn’t stopped a wave of concern from rippling through the entertainment industry. UAE-based filmmaker Faisal Hashmi warns that such tools threaten the very heart of cinematic storytelling. “These tools are designed to undermine traditional narrative craftsmanship,” he said, adding that film is about a storyteller’s lived experience, not an algorithm’s mimicry. While Hashmi believes AI could eventually serve as a creative assistant to human artists, he predicts audiences will tire of AI-driven productions that lack the emotional depth only people can provide.
Others in the industry fear what this means for education and the next generation of creators. Professor Razan Takash, an educator in the UAE, criticized Showrunner for replacing foundational filmmaking skills with what he called “film prompting.” He compared it to bodybuilding by proxy, saying, “You can’t prompt somebody else to lift the weight for you and expect to become a bodybuilder.”
Still, not everyone sees Showrunner as a threat. Mohammed Mamdouh, filmmaker and assistant professor of film and new media design at the American University of Sharjah, calls it a potential equalizer in a historically exclusive industry. He argues that AI could empower sidelined creators, enabling voices that have been shut out of Hollywood’s gatekeeping to tell their stories. “It’s not the death of cinema,” Mamdouh said. “It’s the rebirth.”
Industry analysts note that this AI shift is happening fast. The global AI market in film is projected to grow from $1.28 billion in 2024 to $1.6 billion in 2025, with estimates suggesting it could hit $14 billion by 2033. This rapid growth has led some insiders to warn that filmmakers must adapt quickly or risk becoming irrelevant. Mamdouh’s advice to the industry is blunt: stop fighting AI, embrace it, and guide its integration into storytelling — or be run over by it.
The arrival of Showrunner poses profound questions for Hollywood. Will audiences embrace their newfound power to create custom shows, or will they turn back to the artistry and emotional resonance of human-made stories? And if AI does become a mainstay, will it complement the creative process — or replace it entirely?
One thing is certain: with Amazon’s backing and the speed of AI innovation, the film and television industry is heading into a chapter unlike anything it’s seen before. Whether that chapter is a triumph or a tragedy will depend on how quickly — and wisely — the industry responds.