Pluribus writer Gordan Smith discusses show's anti-AI message

1 hour ago7 min read

In the landscape of contemporary television, where speculative fiction often grapples with our collective anxieties about technology, Apple TV's 'Pluribus' emerges not merely as entertainment but as a poignant cultural critique. The series, starring the formidable Rhea Seehorn as historical romance author Carol Sturka, constructs a narrative where an unexplained virus selectively targets the population, leaving Sturka immune—a premise that writer Gordan Smith reveals is a deliberate allegory for the creeping dominance of artificial intelligence.Smith, in a recent discussion that felt more like a masterclass in thematic screenwriting, elaborated on the show's deeply embedded anti-AI message, framing it not as a Luddite's rejection of progress but as a defense of the irreplicable human spark within art. He draws a compelling parallel between the show's fictional plague and the very real, industry-wide apprehension that AI-generated content could homogenize creativity, draining narrative works of their soul, their idiosyncrasies, and the flawed, beautiful humanity that makes stories resonate.This isn't the first time television has served as the conscience for technological overreach; one can trace a lineage from the cautionary tales of 'Black Mirror' to the corporate critiques of 'Mr. Robot', but 'Pluribus' distinguishes itself by focusing specifically on the creative arts, a sector already witnessing the unsettling proliferation of AI-written novels and algorithmically composed music.Seehorn's character, an author clinging to the tactile process of crafting historical romances, becomes a powerful symbol of resistance. Her immunity is a metaphor for a quality that machines cannot simulate: authentic emotional experience, the subtle weaving of personal grief and joy into a narrative tapestry.Smith pointedly questions what is lost when stories are generated from data sets rather than lived experience, suggesting that the true 'virus' is not the one depicted on screen, but the corporate eagerness to replace human artists with cheaper, faster, and ultimately hollow alternatives. The conversation inevitably turns to the ongoing Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA negotiations, where protections against AI have been a central, hard-fought battleground, underscoring that 'Pluribus' is less a dystopian fantasy and more a reflection of a current, pressing industrial reality.By centering a romance author—a figure often relegated to a less 'serious' genre—the show makes a democratizing argument about the value of all creative expression, arguing that the heart of storytelling, whether in a sweeping epic or an intimate love story, is fundamentally human. The series thus joins a vital discourse, challenging viewers to consider not if AI can create, but whether its creations can ever truly matter in the way that a story born from a human heart does.

#featured

#Pluribus

#Gordan Smith

#anti-AI message

#Apple TV

#Rhea Seehorn

#science fiction

Stay Informed. Act Smarter.

Get weekly highlights, major headlines, and expert insights — then put your knowledge to work in our live prediction markets.