#ai-in-entertainment

#ai-in-entertainment

Rumors are running rampant online that Matt and Ross Duffer used OpenAI's ChatGPT when producing the last season of "Stranger Things" after fans zoomed on a still from a behind-the-scenes documentary that appears to show that one of the brothers had the AI chatbot open while working on the script. "WTF man, now we know why season 5 sucked," wrote one upset fan of the show on X-formerly-Twitter in response.

The world's largest tech showcase does not come without theatrics. Innovations and gadgets like a lollipop that sings to you as you consume it, a laundry-folding robot, and a "smart" LEGO brick have stolen the spotlight so far at CES 2026. But underscoring this year's programming is a strong focus on an industry that relies on a similar theatrical flair: entertainment.

Amazon MGM Studios, the company's TV and movie arm, was hit during the broader company layoffs announced Tuesday. Amazon said it would cut 14,000 jobs overall to slim down as it leans into AI. Among the big names affected at Amazon MGM Studios were Donna Rosenstein, who was head of series casting; and Genna Terranova, head of global programming for MGM Studios and Prime Video. Also cut were drama series exec Meggie Choi and creative exec Nathan Kitada.

First, at OpenAI DevDay, Sam Altman presented the new Sora app as a gift to content creators. If anything, he suggested, OpenAI was being too censorious by not allowing people to make even more kinds of AI videos. "On the whole, creators, rights holders, people are very excited about the potential of this," Altman said during a media Q&A in San Francisco on Monday that I attended. "They believe it will deepen connection. It's kind of like a new generation of fanfiction."

I love being able to bounce ideas off the AI like I do my other writer colleagues.