BBC Director-General Matt Brittin praises AI-generated ‘Doctor Who’ episode

BBC Director-General Matt Brittin has described a 50-minute AI-generated episode of ‘Doctor Who’ as ‘pretty good’ during a speech at the Royal Television Society Convention in London. Brittin noted that generative AI has significantly lowered the barrier to creating professional-standard content, suggesting that ‘everyone’s a creator.’

Despite his positive assessment of the technology's capabilities, Brittin emphasized that AI is ‘not going to replace humans’ in the television production process. He suggested that while the technology offers creative potential, its role would likely be in areas such as development, visual effects, or pre-visualization rather than replacing writers, actors, or crews.

These comments follow a previous instance where the BBC abandoned plans to use generative AI for ‘Doctor Who’ marketing materials after receiving audience complaints. Brittin, who joined the broadcaster following an 18-year career at Google, previously indicated he would consider allowing AI-assisted programming provided it remains within established guardrails.