Veteran actor and screenwriter Syed Mohammed Ahmed has criticised AI use in Pakistan’s television industry. He says some writers now use AI to produce complete 26-episode drama scripts.
Speaking to Sheeba Khan on the Dareecha podcast, Ahmed said writers often lose control after producers take over. He named writer Sarah Majeed as an example.
“Sarah Majeed is a good writer. She’s young, she has a knack for fun writing, but who are the ones getting this writing done, what do they do? They twist [writers’] arms.”
Ahmed said producers had also ordered him to remove material from one of his serials. “My own serial, that I’d written 17 episodes of, did they not ask me to delete everything past episode 11?”
Ahmed now lets producers alter his scripts when rewrites fail.
“I gave them permission because my thoughts are my own. I can’t write as Sheeba, now can I?” he said. “So then I say, ‘Sheeba, this is what I’ve written, now you can tear it apart, do whatever you want to it.’”
AI Dialogue Does Not Fit Pakistani Culture
Ahmed said some writers have stopped making a serious effort because production teams will rewrite their work.
“A lot of writers are now writing 26-episode scripts with the help of AI,” he said. “And you can tell it’s with AI, because these writers don’t even try to change the dialogue to fit our culture.”
“It’s not in the language that we speak because AI just wrote it and gave it to you,” he added.
Ahmed said he needs 10 to 11 months to write one serial. “Then how are they churning out four serials a day? It’s not humanly possible,” he exclaimed.
He also raised concerns about uncredited labour. Ahmed said recognised writers use students, while content teams edit AI-generated drafts without credit.
“Names sell. [Production houses] want so and so to write because their name sells,” he said.
Why Ahmed Stopped Writing Dramas
Ahmed said financial pressure leaves many writers unable to challenge studios. However, he chose to stop writing.
“They’re desperate, everyone needs to earn money and run their household, I do too, I just decided not to write anymore,” he said. “I can’t write toxic mothers and daughters-in-law, I just can’t.”
He recalled writing a drama about an issue that could empower women and girls. Producers responded with what he called “such a deafening silence.”
“It would have exposed men,” Ahmed said. “This is a secret we’ve suppressed for so long because we need our daughters-in-law as punching bags.”
He believed the drama would have made “men,” “mothers-in-law” and television channels cry. Yet, he said, “All these educated producers, or so-called educated producers, they went silent on it.”
Ahmed warned that someone could later take his idea and ask another writer to develop it. He asked Khan to remember him if that happened.
