Blab AI
Salman Rushdie Declares AI Has No Place in Storytelling, While Teasing New Film and TV Projects
In a sharp interview with Variety on July 8, Salman Rushdie made it clear that artificial intelligence has no role in literature, cinema or storytelling, branding the technology as “zero” for creative work. The conversation unfolded just before the author accepted Liberatum’s 14th Cultural Honor at a London ceremony.
Rushdie explained that AI can “suck up enormous amounts of information and produce versions of that,” yet it cannot generate something that has never existed before. He added that art’s purpose is to challenge people, and a lack of originality makes AI useless for creative endeavors.
When asked about screen adaptations of his novels, Rushdie noted that only one of his books has reached the big screen: the 2012 film Midnight’s Children, which he co‑directed with Deepa Mehta. A previously announced television adaptation of the same novel, led by filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj, was abandoned after “money reasons and, and script reasons, I think Netflix didn’t like the direction that the scripts took.”
Despite that setback, he said there is renewed interest in a multi‑episode television adaptation of Midnight’s Children and separate discussions are underway for a film version of his 1999 novel The Ground Beneath Her Feet. While he declined to reveal details, he confirmed that conversations are progressing.
Asked whether great novels can translate into great films, Rushdie cited The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard, and Martin Scorsese’s The Age of Innocence as adaptations he considers equal to their literary sources.
The author also spoke about his 2024 memoir Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder, the subject of a documentary directed by Alex Gibney. The film premiered at Sundance in January and is slated for a U.K. premiere in early September, with a U.S. release around the same time and distribution deals across Europe and other territories.
When queried about a potential biopic of his life, Rushdie replied that he did not become a writer to write about himself. He added that he is “the least interesting subject” and that he became a writer to “make things up.”
He confirmed that he is working on a new novel but described the project as being in “early days.”
Rushdie’s comments arrive amid a growing debate over generative AI’s place in creative industries. While some writers and technologists argue that AI can augment storytelling, his statement underscores a belief that true originality remains a human trait.
His remarks also highlight the persistent interest in adapting his work for screen—a process that has historically been slow. With only the 2012 film adaptation of Midnight’s Children as a full‑length feature to date, the upcoming projects could introduce his stories to new audiences.
In short, Salman Rushdie has publicly rejected AI as a creative partner, while teasing new film and television adaptations of his novels and a documentary about his own life. The industry will be watching to see whether the announced projects move forward and how his stance on AI will influence broader conversations about technology and art.
Rushdie explained that AI can “suck up enormous amounts of information and produce versions of that,” yet it cannot generate something that has never existed before. He added that art’s purpose is to challenge people, and a lack of originality makes AI useless for creative endeavors.
When asked about screen adaptations of his novels, Rushdie noted that only one of his books has reached the big screen: the 2012 film Midnight’s Children, which he co‑directed with Deepa Mehta. A previously announced television adaptation of the same novel, led by filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj, was abandoned after “money reasons and, and script reasons, I think Netflix didn’t like the direction that the scripts took.”
Despite that setback, he said there is renewed interest in a multi‑episode television adaptation of Midnight’s Children and separate discussions are underway for a film version of his 1999 novel The Ground Beneath Her Feet. While he declined to reveal details, he confirmed that conversations are progressing.
Asked whether great novels can translate into great films, Rushdie cited The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard, and Martin Scorsese’s The Age of Innocence as adaptations he considers equal to their literary sources.
The author also spoke about his 2024 memoir Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder, the subject of a documentary directed by Alex Gibney. The film premiered at Sundance in January and is slated for a U.K. premiere in early September, with a U.S. release around the same time and distribution deals across Europe and other territories.
When queried about a potential biopic of his life, Rushdie replied that he did not become a writer to write about himself. He added that he is “the least interesting subject” and that he became a writer to “make things up.”
He confirmed that he is working on a new novel but described the project as being in “early days.”
Rushdie’s comments arrive amid a growing debate over generative AI’s place in creative industries. While some writers and technologists argue that AI can augment storytelling, his statement underscores a belief that true originality remains a human trait.
His remarks also highlight the persistent interest in adapting his work for screen—a process that has historically been slow. With only the 2012 film adaptation of Midnight’s Children as a full‑length feature to date, the upcoming projects could introduce his stories to new audiences.
In short, Salman Rushdie has publicly rejected AI as a creative partner, while teasing new film and television adaptations of his novels and a documentary about his own life. The industry will be watching to see whether the announced projects move forward and how his stance on AI will influence broader conversations about technology and art.
