Doctor Who fans horrified as BBC boss calls AI-made episode 'pretty good'

[Molly4]

BBC Director General Matt Brittin has stirred up a hornet's nest with Doctor Who fans. Speaking at the Royal Television Society Convention in London, he said someone had sent him a 50 minute AI generated episode of Doctor Who, and that it was pretty good. He went on to say AI will not replace human creators, and that when everyone is a creator, not all the creativity is bad. Fans have not taken it well

The episode in question appears to be The Curse of Kilmorag, made as part of a fan project called The Unmade Season. It was removed from YouTube after a copyright claim, and its creator has reportedly received death threats over it. That context makes the Director General's praise feel even more awkward, given the BBC itself is the copyright holder

Brittin's wider point was that generative AI has lowered the barrier to making professional looking content, and that billions of people could soon produce something close to Hollywood quality. He was clear that the BBC has no plans to make official AI episodes. However, the corporation does seem open to using AI in development, visual effects and pre-visualisation work

The reaction from fans is understandable. Doctor Who has always been about human imagination, and plenty of writers, actors and crew have worked on it for decades. Hearing the head of the BBC praise an AI version, even casually, sounds like a warning to the people who make the real thing. Given how uncertain the show's future has seemed lately, the timing could hardly be worse

Death threats against a fan creator are completely unacceptable, whatever anyone thinks of AI. That said, I can see why the comments touched a nerve. Would you watch an AI generated Doctor Who episode out of curiosity, or is it a line the BBC should never cross?

Doctor Who fans horrified after BBC boss claims AI episodemetro.co.uk