Photo via Fast Company
Michael Patrick King, the acclaimed creator behind 'Sex and the City' and 'The Comeback,' has become an unlikely voice sounding the alarm about artificial intelligence's potential to eliminate creative jobs. In a recent interview, King characterized AI not as a passing technological trend, but as what he calls "an extinction event" for the writing profession—a stark warning that goes beyond typical industry hand-wringing about automation. His concern stems from witnessing how quickly AI technology has advanced, particularly following the 2023 writers' strike negotiations when labor leaders warned that a new round of talks would be necessary within three years specifically because of AI-generated content.
Rather than simply cautioning viewers about rogue technology, King and co-creator Lisa Kudrow examined the human appetite that makes technological displacement possible in the first place. Their newly completed third season of 'The Comeback' features a protagonist who unknowingly stars in a sitcom secretly written by artificial intelligence. According to King, the show's research revealed a critical insight: the public doesn't resist AI in financial, clerical, or organizational applications, but viscerally rejects it when it begins creating art. This distinction became the thriller aspect of the season—nobody would openly admit to using AI creatively unless they knew it worked.
King emphasized that AI is already more advanced than most realize, with ChatGPT jokes already feeling dated at award shows. Rather than broad, clunky commentary, the show grounds its predictions specifically in the writing process because that's where King's expertise lies. One pivotal scene shows writers rejecting their own joke in favor of an AI-generated line that gets laughs from the audience, capturing the melancholy realization that audiences respond to formula over originality. The implication cuts deeper than blaming tech companies or executives—viewers themselves are implicated in the choice to accept lower-quality work if it satisfies immediate entertainment desires.
Looking forward, King acknowledged that AI adaptation is inevitable, but questioned what happens to creativity in the process. He noted the value of emerging tools like efficient transcription software while warning that AI summaries create a false sense of creative progress, flattening the archaeological process of discovery that defines genuine writing. For Dallas media professionals and entertainment industry workers, King's perspective suggests that the next decade will require not just technological adaptation, but a fierce defense of the human struggle inherent in creating authentic work—a struggle he believes is itself the point.
