Photo by Julia Fiander on Unsplash
In a time when AI-generated everything is saturating our screens, one TV creator is drawing a very clear line. Vince Gilligan — the mind behind Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul — just dropped a new sci-fi series called Pluribus on Apple TV, and right at the end credits is one very unusual disclaimer:
“This show was made by humans.”
Yep, among the usual credit roll and notes about animal wranglers, Gilligan and his team made sure you knew no generative AI had a hand in the making of this show.
A Statement With Some Bite
It’s not just a quiet footnote, either. Gilligan made sure to spell out exactly how he feels about artificial intelligence in storytelling. And let’s just say, he’s not here for it.
In an interview with Variety, he didn’t mince words. “I hate AI,” he said, calling it “the world’s most expensive and energy-intensive plagiarism machine.” He even likened AI-created content to “a cow chewing its cud — an endlessly regurgitated loop of nonsense.”
“Thank you, Silicon Valley! Yet again, you’ve f—ed up the world.”
Safe to say, Gilligan’s not jumping on the AI bandwagon any time soon.
What Is Pluribus Actually About?
Gilligan’s return to science fiction comes after years of crafting crime dramas, and this time he’s pulled in some familiar faces. Pluribus stars Rhea Seehorn (familiar to fans of Better Call Saul) as a romantic fantasy author who finds herself caught in the middle of an alien invasion.
Photo by Danie Franco on Unsplash
That setup alone blends genre fiction in a way that feels deeply human — emotional, complex, imaginative… all the things AI isn’t quite good at yet.
Why the Human Touch Matters
The disclaimer might seem small, but it hits on something big. As more studios explore cost-cutting and content-churning with AI, creators like Gilligan are pushing back, publicly and loudly. And as viewers, we’re starting to pay attention to whether the stories we watch are crafted or computed.
By calling out the use — or in this case, the strict non-use — of AI, Gilligan’s making a statement about authorship, originality, and creativity. It’s a reminder that storytelling isn’t just about producing content. It’s about connecting, imagining, and, yes, sometimes railing against the influence of tech when it threatens the soul of the work.
Will Others Follow?
Time will tell if this kind of disclaimer catches on. But one thing’s clear — Gilligan isn’t just throwing shade at AI. He’s drawing a line in the sand. And that could inspire more creators to stand up, say something, and let their audiences know exactly what they’re watching — and who made it.
So if you’re scrolling through your watchlist and wondering whether a show’s got that special spark, maybe keep an eye on the credits. If it says “made by humans,” that’s probably something worth watching.
Keywords: Vince Gilligan, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Pluribus, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Storytelling, Human Creativity, Science Fiction, Alien Invasion
