Pakistani writer and actor Syed Mohammed Ahmed has spoken openly about problems in the drama industry, including the growing use of AI in scriptwriting. He shared his views on Sheeba Khan’s podcast, Dareecha.
Ahmed said he no longer writes because producers keep changing scripts to make them more toxic and dramatic, and he cannot bring himself to write such content anymore. He explained that many good writers face this same problem, as producers often rewrite their work just to make it more “viral.”
He also pointed out a bigger issue: some writers are now using AI tools to write full 26-episode drama scripts. According to Ahmed, this is easy to notice because the dialogue does not match how people in Pakistan actually talk, since AI does not understand local culture. He said writing one drama properly takes him almost a year, so producing several scripts a day is simply not possible without shortcuts.
Ahmed also raised concerns about writers not getting credit for their work, saying production houses often let assistants or content teams edit AI-written scripts, but only use a known writer’s name because “names sell.”
He shared that he once wrote a script meant to empower women, but no producer wanted to make it because it exposed harmful social behavior. He said such stories are avoided because society is not ready to face uncomfortable truths.
Ahmed’s comments reflect growing debate about honesty, credit, and quality in Pakistan’s television industry.
