# Jack Thorne urges fraud laws for writers hiding AI assistance

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/jack-thorne-warns-some-fellow-scriptwriters-are-using-ai-to-cheat/
- Published: 2026-09-14T09:07:19+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-14T15:17:07+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/sep/14/jack-thorne-scriptwriters-ai-artificial-intelligence
- Topics: AI, Government, Politics, Technology, UK, World

## Key points

- Jack Thorne says some writers secretly use AI instead of writing scripts
- He wants undeclared AI-generated work treated as fraud, prosecutable by employers
- Thorne also criticises government inaction on AI's use of copyrighted material

## Summary

Jack Thorne, co-writer of Netflix's Adolescence and author of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, warned that some screenwriters are secretly using AI to generate scripts rather than write them, calling this "cheating" that undermines the profession. In a London speech, Thorne, who is president of the Writers' Guild of Great Britain, called for laws making it unlawful to pass off undeclared AI-generated content as one's own work, arguing this should be treated as fraud that employers could prosecute against those responsible. He also criticised the UK government for being "a bit dazzled by tech" and failing to protect writers' copyright from AI companies' mass-scraping of creative material to train their models.

Thorne distinguished between acceptable uses of AI, such as checking spelling or discussing ideas, and using it as "a replacement for writing at all," and urged broadcasters including the BBC and Channel 4 to impose professional sanctions on writers found using AI to generate their work, saying this was essential "to protect the most vulnerable". He also said AI must not be allowed to impersonate actors, directors and writers, and pressed ministers to legislate against copyright infringement, noting that Starmer's government had last year dropped a proposal requiring an opt-out for AI training use after industry backlash, opting instead for a consultation. A government spokesperson responded that copyright laws must protect the UK's creative sector.

## Coverage

- [The Guardian: Jack Thorne urges fraud laws for writers hiding AI assistance](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/sep/14/jack-thorne-scriptwriters-ai-artificial-intelligence)
- [Deadline: ‘Adolescence’ Scribe Jack Thorne Claims Fellow Writers Are Using AI To “Cheat” & Says Those Caught Should Be Punished](https://deadline.com/2026/09/adolescence-jack-thorne-ai-writer-cheat-1237101521/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.