WWE has reportedly hired a new executive to spearhead a move toward incorporating artificial intelligence into its creative process. According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Cyrus Kowsari was hired last month as the new Senior Director of Creative Strategy and was introduced to the creative staff by Paul “Triple H” Levesque.
A New Creative Direction
Cyrus Kowsari previously worked as a Producer for Buzzfeed from 2016 to 2022 and for the MMA promotion ONE from 2022 until last month. In introducing him, Levesque reportedly told the creative team that Kowsari would lead WWE’s transition to AI-based storytelling and integrate the technology into other creative services like video and graphics.
Levesque was said to have called the shift “inevitable when it comes to creative in pro wrestling”. Kowsari stated his role would be to both manage AI storytelling and act as a liaison to the White House, as Levesque is reportedly taking on more political duties.
“Absurdly Bad” Early Results
WWE already has a contract with an AI platform called Writer AI, which has been fed existing WWE content to learn from. However, the initial results have been less than stellar. According to the report, “Thus far the AI software has come up with what one person with knowledge of the situation called absurdly bad storylines”.
One specific pitch mentioned was a storyline for AEW Bobby Lashley, who the AI seemingly did not know was no longer with the company, where he would return “as a wrestler who was obsessed with Japanese culture and history”.
Future Impact and Precedent
Despite the rough start, the internal feeling is reportedly that “once bugs are worked out that AI will begin to have major impact on storyline direction”. The report also notes that this is not the first time a promotion has experimented with AI for creative purposes.
According to Meltzer, “another promotion previously tested out AI for creative help and suggestions and found it couldn’t understand pro wrestling and storylines”.
