Stranger Things documentary director Martina Radwan addressed accusations that the Duffer brothers used ChatGPT to write the series finale.
One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 was released on Netflix this week, and it further proved that fans are incapable of being normal about the show. While the documentary was clearly made to showcase all of the hard work that went into creating Stranger Things, people on the Internet took the opportunity to pick apart and scrutinize every possible detail.
The documentary revealed that the Duffers hadn’t completed the final script before production began, which is perfectly normal for television. Unfortunately, that doesn’t matter to the Internet. People started to look deeper into the doc’s writers’ room scenes. Now, “fans” think they clocked ChatGPT open on one of the Duffers’ computers.
There are endless reasons people use ChatGPT, but it’s leading to accusations that the Duffers used AI to finish the script. Radwan recently addressed those claims during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
Martina Radwan talks ChatGPT and Stranger Things
When Radwan was asked about the alleged ChatGPT tab on one of the Duffers’ computers, she replied, “I mean, are we even sure they had ChatGPT open?”
The interviewer clarifies that it hasn’t been confirmed, but notes the Internet seems sure. Just like they seemed sure about “conformity gate.”
“Well, there’s a lot of chatter where [social media users] are like, ‘We don’t really know, but we’re assuming.’ But to me it’s like, doesn’t everybody have it open, to just do quick research?” Radwan replied. “How can you possibly write a storyline with 19 characters and use ChatGPT, I don’t even understand.”
“Again, first of all, nobody has actually proved that it was open,” Radwan continued. “That’s like having your iPhone next to your computer while you’re writing a story. We just use these tools … while multitasking. So there’s a lot going on all the time, every time. What I find heartbreaking is everybody loves the show, and suddenly we need to pick it apart.”
“No, of course not,” she clarified when asked if she saw any unethical use of AI in the Stranger Things writers’ room. “I witnessed creative exchanges. I witnessed conversation. People think ‘writers room’ means people are sitting there writing. No, it’s a creative exchange. It’s story development. And, of course, you go places in your creative mind, and then you come back [to the script]. I think being in the writers’ room is such a privilege and such a gift to be able to witness that.”
“No, it was all my choice,” Radwan added when asked if she was ever blocked from the writers’ room while documenting the process.
If you loved the Stranger Things finale and need a little palate cleanser from the hate, here are 15 wholesome memes about the final episode.
The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s newsletter here.
