Vince Gilligan, the creator of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, joined the growing backlash against artificial intelligence — and he did not hold back.
Here's what to know
In an Instagram post shared by More Perfect Union (@perfectunion), Gilligan said he believes AI could "make all of our lives useless and irrelevant."
His frustration reflects a debate playing out across entertainment, education, tech, and everyday workplaces. While supporters often frame AI as a productivity tool, critics have raised concerns about job displacement, the weakening of creative industries, and the devaluation of human labor.
"I don't see the point of it," Gilligan said. "It seems to me like a solution in search of a problem."
More background
AI is quickly shifting from novelty to infrastructure. Companies are racing to build tools that can write, draw, code, summarize, and imitate human work, even as lawsuits, labor disputes, and ethical questions continue to mount.
Critics argue that tools trained on massive amounts of human-created material could replace that same human work.
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Large-scale AI systems also rely on energy-hungry data centers, and those facilities can increase electricity demand and strain water resources. The costs of the AI boom can show up in neighborhoods, on power grids, and in public resources.
The fear is a future in which people are treated as disposable.
"'A solution in search of a problem' is spot on," one commenter wrote.
What can be done?
Communities can push for strict rules on data center growth, energy use, and water consumption as well as labor protections so tech expansion doesn't come at everyone else's expense.
"It just seems like a way for a bunch of billionaires to become trillionaires," Gilligan said. "And what the hell do I want to help them do that for? So yeah, I'm not a fan of AI."
Where can I learn more?
Gilligan's warning gets at two of the biggest complaints about the AI boom: It sends more wealth to the top while chipping away at the value of human work. These articles explore that tension, from Silicon Valley pay fights and unemployment fears to the growing backlash against using AI for everything.
• Across Silicon Valley, workers are demanding to get paid for the jobs AI threatens to erase.
• Veteran investors say AI could bring a terrifying impact to employment across whole industries.
• Comedians are openly mocking absurd usage of AI as the technology spreads everywhere.
Who benefits from AI, and who pays the price? The debate has moved well beyond shiny new tools to the value of humans and their work.
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