Davies criticises BBC boss over AI Doctor Who remarks

Russell T Davies has criticised BBC director general Matt Brittin for describing an AI-generated Doctor Who episode as “pretty good,” saying the remark could affect writers and artists. Davies also said production on a new series, featuring a new Doctor and companion, would begin next summer, although he will not be involved. Davies made the comments in an interview about the BBC’s response to artificial intelligence and the future of the long-running science-fiction series. He called Brittin’s remark clumsy in an industry where writers and artists could be among the first affected by the technology. Davies said the comment had prompted messages to him and suggested Brittin had received a similar reaction. Brittin made the original remarks at a Royal Television Society conference in September, saying he had been sent an unofficial, AI-generated Doctor Who episode that was 50 minutes long. At a BBC staff meeting the following week, he said he had been trying to illustrate the pace of technological change and maintained that human creativity would lead the BBC’s work. He acknowledged that his earlier comments had drawn criticism.