Recent reports have offered conflicting details on WWE’s expanding use of artificial intelligence within its creative department. The company hired Cyrus Kowsari in September as WWE’s senior director of creative strategy.
The AI Storytelling Mandate
According to this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Kowsari was introduced to the creative team by Chief Content Officer Triple H. The introduction described Kowsari as an individual who would “lead WWE’s transition into AI-based storytelling and integrate AI into creative services like video and graphics.” This report suggested a significant move toward incorporating AI into elements of WWE programming.
A Different Perspective
A report from Fightful Select on Sunday provided a different view from within the company. According to Fightful, the WWE creative team is “under the impression that he is being brought in to find ways to have AI help remove background noise in shots, organize files quickly, or work on production elements of WWE’s shows as opposed to creative storylines.”
AI as an Assistant
The Fightful report also noted that WWE’s creative team has “been using AI tools for years.” However, its application has reportedly been limited. The report states the technology is used more like a “creative assistant” for tasks such as determining “when two wrestlers last had a match.” It was also mentioned that “nobody on the creative team knew of anyone who used the AI system for more than ‘a couple of minutes.'”
The Human Element
Fightful was “specifically told that AI will not replace the creative writing team.” A “top star” quoted in the report made the distinction clear, stating that “Michael Hayes, Paul Heyman and Ed Koskey are not AI.”
The creative direction of WWE remains under the leadership of Paul Levesque, who serves as the company’s Chief Content Officer. Ed Koskey and Michael Hayes continue to hold significant roles in the creative process for Raw and SmackDown.
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