OnWriting: A Podcast of the WGA East Episode 131: WGAE AI Task Force Roundtable with Larry J. Cohen, Sarah Montana and A.M. Homes
Nov 20, 2025
This roundtable features Larry J. Cohen, a television writer and co-chair of the WGAE AI Task Force, and Sarah Montana, a Hallmark screenwriter and fellow co-chair. They delve into AI's history, development, and the risks it poses to writers. Discussion highlights include the dangers of generative AI, privacy concerns, and copyright implications. They emphasize the importance of member activism and outline victories won during the 2023 strike. Together, they advocate for ethical AI practices that protect the unique voices of writers.
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Episode notes
LLMs Predict Patterns, Not Understanding
- Large language models predict patterns from massive scraped data rather than truly understand content.
- Larry J. Cohen warns they 'hallucinate' and frequently make factual errors.
Generative AI Is A Different Beast
- Generative AI differs from older forms like spellcheck or recommendation algorithms by synthesizing new content.
- Sarah Montana emphasizes the shift from reactive AI to generative models and LLMs.
From Skynet Jokes To Genuine Alarm
- Sarah Montana recounts her father-in-law's shift from joking about Skynet to finding AI 'chilling.'
- The story shows how close insiders became alarmed as the technology developed.
