Jesse Eisenberg says he’s “totally paranoid” about AI, so he checks whether it can write a decent scene. According to IGN, the actor, writer and director made the comments in an interview with Variety, where he said the results are still bad.
Eisenberg appeared on the Variety Awards Circuit podcast with his co-star Julianne Moore to discuss The Debut, the A24 film he wrote and directed. The two were asked about AI’s effect on the industry. Moore sounded hopeful about the filmmakers it might uncover. Eisenberg’s answer was more anxious. He said he prompts AI with requests along the lines of “Write a scene like this”, then reads the output to confirm it’s poor. “I’m just testing it to make sure it’s bad, and it’s still bad,” he said.
The relief doesn’t last long, though. Eisenberg asked how far away AI is from being good, and described a future in which a kid puts on a pair of goggles and asks for a movie starring themselves. In his example, the child supplies photos of themselves and a classmate they like, then presses play. He said that scenario is what he’s paranoid about.
Why he isn’t giving up on storytelling
Eisenberg named two things that calm him down. The first is the creative spirit, which he thinks will keep finding ways to entertain us that computers may not. The second is endurance: he performs Greek plays written 2,500 years ago, staged much as they were then, and reasons that anything that has lasted that long will stay. He added that people want to share a room and listen to stories together, “as old as cave people” doing it by a campfire.
His real concern is economic. “What I do worry about is whether we’ll still be able to make a living from it,” he said, adding that he isn’t 100% sure about that. It’s a worry that’s common among creative workers. IGN notes that Nicolas Cage said he’d “probably not work with” Amazon again after declining to sign its AI waiver, and that Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto said the company would prefer to “go in a different direction” on AI.
The Debut is Eisenberg’s third film as director, and Variety reports it premiered at the Telluride Film Festival. IGN lists a release date of 11 December 2026. We haven’t found a date for UAE, Saudi Arabian or Egyptian cinemas.
What did Jesse Eisenberg say about AI writing?
He told Variety he sometimes asks AI to write scenes to see whether it’s any good at screenwriting. He says it’s still bad, which he’s relieved about, but he wonders how long that will last.
What is Eisenberg most worried about?
He’s most concerned about whether writers and performers can still earn a living, as well as a future of on-demand, personalised AI films. He described a kid in goggles asking for a movie starring themselves and a classmate.
When is The Debut out?
IGN says the film is set to arrive on 11 December 2026. Regional release dates haven’t been confirmed in the sources we found, so check local cinema listings closer to the time.
