{"id":406590,"date":"2026-01-14T12:19:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T12:19:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/406590\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T12:19:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T12:19:21","slug":"the-stranger-things-documentary-maker-weighs-in-on-that-chatgpt-controversy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/406590\/","title":{"rendered":"The ‘Stranger Things’ Documentary Maker Weighs in on That ChatGPT Controversy"},"content":{"rendered":"

One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5<\/a> hit Netflix earlier this week, and as it\u2019s become clear that there\u2019s no secret ninth episode coming\u2014as intense internet speculation<\/a> had suggested\u2014disappointed fans<\/a> have instead turned to scrutinizing the documentary for answers, clarity, and fuel for more speculation. And, well, \u201cConformity Gate\u201d can step aside, because \u201cChatGPT Gate\u201d is the hot new topic.<\/p>\n

The controversy comes because eagle-eyed viewers spotted what appear to be ChatGPT tabs visible on a computer being used by one of the Duffer Brothers. As part of One Last Adventure\u2018s behind-the-scenes access, viewers see what it was like in the Stranger Things writers\u2019 room as the team, including the Duffers, frantically tries to complete the script for episode eight, \u201cThe Rightside Up,\u201d under pressure from Netflix and the show\u2019s production team.<\/p>\n

Speaking to One Last Adventure director Martina Radwan, the Hollywood Reporter<\/a> asked outright if she ever saw generative AI being used by the show\u2019s writers. Her first response: \u201cI mean, are we even sure they had ChatGPT open?\u201d<\/p>\n

She then added, \u201cWell, there\u2019s a lot of chatter where [social media users] are like, \u2018We don\u2019t really know, but we\u2019re assuming.\u2019 But to me it\u2019s like, doesn\u2019t everybody have it open, to just do quick research?\u201d<\/p>\n

(The answer is no, but we digress.)<\/p>\n

However, there\u2019s a difference between \u201cresearch\u201d and \u201cwriting a script,\u201d which Radwan pointed out. \u201cHow can you possibly write a storyline with 19 characters and use ChatGPT, I don\u2019t even understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

She continued. \u201cAgain, first of all, nobody has actually proved that it was open. That\u2019s like having your iPhone next to your computer while you\u2019re writing a story. We just use these tools \u2026 while multitasking. So there\u2019s a lot going on all the time, every time. What I find heartbreaking is everybody loves the show, and suddenly we need to pick it apart.\u201d<\/p>\n

Radwan\u2014who spent a full year enmeshed in Stranger Things\u2014confirmed that she never saw generative AI being used unethically by the show\u2019s writers.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, of course not. I witnessed creative exchanges. I witnessed conversation. People think \u2018writers room\u2019 means people are sitting there writing. No, it\u2019s a creative exchange. It\u2019s story development,\u201d she said, \u201cand, of course, you go places in your creative mind and then you come back [to the script]. I think being in the writers room is such a privilege and such a gift to be able to witness that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Radwan addressed a few other eyebrow-raising scenes captured in One Last Adventure and also responded to \u201cConformity Gate,\u201d so definitely head to THR<\/a> to read the whole piece.<\/p>\n

io9 reached out to Netflix for comment or clarity on whether or not that\u2019s actually ChatGPT viewers have spotted in the documentary, as well as the allegations that generative AI was used as part of the\u00a0Stranger Things writing process. We will update this post should we hear back.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel<\/a>, Star Wars<\/a>, and Star Trek<\/a> releases, what\u2019s next for the DC Universe on film and TV<\/a>, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 hit Netflix earlier this week, and as it\u2019s become…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":406591,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[3195,88,217,195785,13671,64590],"class_list":["post-406590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-chatgpt","tag-entertainment","tag-netflix","tag-one-last-adventure-the-making-of-stranger-things-5","tag-stranger-things","tag-the-duffer-brothers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406590","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=406590"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406590\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/406591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=406590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=406590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=406590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}