Things are going…ok? I’m pleasantly surprised at how fast my work on my WIP is going now that I’m in the third act. I had some problems with one of my AI editors because a scene was a little too spicy for them, but nothing that couldn’t be overcome.
I hope to wrap this draft up….maybe by the of the month? Maybe?
Then, post-production starts.
Then I have to do fucking open heart surgery on a structural basis to fix some real lingering problems in the nature of the novel. Like, my hero is too passive at times. And there is a moment in the second half of the second act where even I, as the writer, wonder why in the world anyone would want to hang out with these people.
They all seem so unhappy for no reason.
But, then, in the third act, things bounce back to where they should be.
Anyway, I’ve really enjoyed this struggle this go round when it comes to working on a novel. I continue to think, because I can’t afford a human editor, that I will get an AI to “gently” edit my copy as one of the last stages in the post-production process before I query.
I’m pleasantly surprised at how fast I’m going through the third act outline of this scifi dramedy I’m working on. I’m so fucking moody about my writing that there’s a chance it could be months before I finish this draft, but if I can focus I think it could be weeks.
And THEN what I’m going to do is do open heart surgery on some of the structure of the novel. Then I’m going to do “color correction” of the novel to stop it being the current hodge-podge of drafts that it is.
AND THEN, once THAT is done, I MAY take the controversial step of doing a once over with AI to give it a final burnish. I’m only mulling do this because, lulz, I can’t afford a fucking editor.
So, I would instruct the AI to “gently” edit my writing simply to bump it up to query-level. Of course, being a lot of people are dumb and horrible, they would say this means I “let AI write the novel for me.”
Nope. I have done so much hard work. But I just can’t afford a human manuscript consultant or a human editor. And my beta readers are simply not going to give me the input that I need. (And I can’t afford to pay a beta reader.)
I still haven’t quite decided to this yet, but I may.
I need to just do it and start reading Annie Bot. It’s a “comp” book to my scifi dramedy and, as such, it would really help the querying process to read it.
And yet, I’m really struggling to read it. To even look at it at all.
I guess the key reason this is because I’m not thrilled to be confronted with how badly my writing sucks in comparison.
So, the question is: am I ever going to read it?
Well, I own a copy to read. So, that’s a start.
And I do keep looking at the book. It’s just, I would rather keep working on my own novel instead of reading someone else’s novel about a similar premise.
As an “AI First” novelist, I sometimes ask AI to act as a more aggressive manuscript consultant than I’d normally prefer — punching up a scene when I’m frustrated by how short it is and need a quick-and-dirty way to get it to length. This adds to my workload later, but at least it gives me a guide for fixing length problems down the road.
The real risk is in the “color correction” — my term for the revision pass where I make every line sound like me. If I don’t do that properly, there’ll be an obvious gap between what I wrote and what AI expanded. That pass is where I earn the manuscript.
All of this is happening against a timeline that’s coming into focus. I’m targeting September 1st to start querying. I’ll hopefully — maybe — wrap up this draft within a few weeks. Then comes color correction, and then comes finding beta readers, which frankly worries me more than the writing. I have real doubts I’ll find anyone willing to read the thing.
One thing I’ll probably revisit during color correction: character names. A relative told me the “weird names” were off-putting, and I don’t entirely disagree — but I don’t entirely agree either. I’ll need to sit with that one.
Still, this is by far the farthest I’ve ever gotten in the process of writing a query-worthy novel. I feel a little sheepish about how many years it’s taken to reach this point, but I’ve had fun getting here. And for the first time, the next stage — actually querying — feels like something that’s about to happen rather than something I’m imagining.
The hypothesis that Hollywood studios will eventually transform into IP holding companies, where AI agents leverage licensed intellectual property to create personalized, bespoke content for users, is no longer a matter of distant speculation. As of early 2026, the entertainment industry is already in the midst of this structural metamorphosis. The convergence of generative AI (such as OpenAI’s Sora 2), decentralized distribution, and a shift in consumer behavior toward hyper-personalization has set the stage for a fundamental reimagining of what a “studio” actually is.
1. The Shift in the Core Asset: From Films to Foundations
In the traditional studio model, the primary asset was the finished product—the 120-minute feature film or the 22-episode television season. In the emerging AI-driven landscape, the core asset has shifted to the foundational intellectual property: the characters, the lore, the world-building, and the digital likenesses of the actors.
Aspect
Traditional Studio Model
AI-Driven IP Holding Model
Primary Function
Physical production and distribution
IP stewardship and licensing
Core Asset
Finished media (MP4, DCP)
Digital assets, lore, and character weights
Production
Human-led, multi-year timelines
AI-driven, real-time, or near-real-time
Creative Control
Centralized (Director/Producer)
Decentralized (AI-guided, User-influenced)
Recent developments in 2025 and 2026 show that studios like Disney and Warner Bros. are increasingly viewing their libraries as “training sets” and “licensing foundations.” For instance, Disney’s reported move in late 2025 to hand over its most valuable characters to AI models for licensed use marks a pivotal moment where the studio prioritizes the utility of its characters over the scarcity of its films.
2. The Rise of Personalized and Bespoke Narratives
The concept of “bespoke versions” for users is already manifesting in platforms like Fable Studio’s “Showrunner”, which allows users to generate custom episodes of animated shows from simple text prompts. Even more telling is the recent launch of the Disney+ “Magic Feed” in March 2026. This feature, which initially focused on vertical video clips, is widely seen as the precursor to a system where users can generate personalized AI scenes within the Disney ecosystem—such as a version of Star Wars where the user themselves is a Jedi, or a Marvel movie with a customized plotline.
“The ‘Magic Feed’ won’t just show you clips from existing movies; it will show you personalized AI-generated scenes… this is the first step toward user-created artificial intelligence videos within a walled garden of premium IP.” [1]
3. The Economic Transformation: Licensing as the New Box Office
As studios become IP holding companies, their revenue models are shifting from high-risk, high-reward box office releases to a more stable licensing and subscription-based model. In this scenario, the studio acts as a “Rights OS,” providing the legal and creative framework for AI agents to operate.
IP Licensing Fees: Charging AI platforms (like OpenAI, Runway, or specialized “Showrunner” apps) for the right to use specific characters or worlds.
Bespoke Subscriptions: A premium tier of streaming services that allows for a certain number of AI-generated “bespoke” episodes or scenes per month.
Data Monetization: Using the data from millions of user-generated versions to understand what audiences truly want, which then informs the creation of “canonical” entries in the franchise.
4. Challenges: Talent, Law, and the “Soul” of Cinema
Despite the economic logic, this transition faces significant headwinds:
Talent Resistance: The 2025 backlash against AI avatars like Tilly Norwood and the ongoing concerns from SAG-AFTRA highlight a deep-seated fear that human actors will be replaced by digital clones. Studios must navigate complex “right of publicity” laws to license actor likenesses for personalized content.
Legal Battles: Landmark lawsuits in 2025 (e.g., Disney/Universal vs. Midjourney) demonstrate that studios are willing to fight aggressively to ensure they, and not tech companies, control the AI generation process.
The Loss of Shared Experience: If everyone is watching their own bespoke version of a movie, the “water cooler” moment of shared cultural experience risks disappearing. Critics argue that “bespoke” content may lack the artistic intent and cohesion that only human creators can provide.
5. Conclusion: The Hybrid Future
The most likely outcome is a hybrid model. Hollywood studios will not entirely stop producing “canonical” high-budget human-led films, as these serve as the “anchor points” for the IP’s value. However, the vast majority of consumer engagement will likely shift toward AI-driven personalized content.
In this future, a studio’s success will be measured not by its ability to manage a film set, but by its ability to maintain the cultural relevance and legal integrity of its IP. The studio becomes the “gardener” of a fictional universe, while AI agents and users are the “explorers” who create an infinite number of paths within it.
References: [1] Inside the Magic, “Mickey Goes TikTok: Why Disney+ Vertical Video is the Secret Key to User-Created AI Videos,” March 2026. [2] The Trumplandia Report, “The Ultimate Fate of Content Creation in the Age of AI Agents,” March 2024/2026. [3] Variety, “Media Predictions 2026: Odyssey Dominates,” December 2025.
It definitely seems as though the old post-WW2 liberal order is…dying. It definitely seems as though we in a new era where anything is possible. I keep expecting that Trump will drop a MOAB or tactical nuke on Iran sometime soon.
I watch the little cartoon history videos called “History Matters” and it definitely seems like this would be the part of the video that was a precursor to Something Big. I don’t know what that Something Big is going to be, but it’s probably going to happen this year.
My fear, of course, is that there’s a major terrorist attack in the USA, or Trump uses some combination of the SAVE Act and a forced “nationalization” of elections to attempt to turn the USA into a “managed democracy.” And THAT, in turn causes a civil war or revolution.
But hopefully that’s not what’s going to happen.
And, yet, I do think this year is going to be far more turbulent that any of us could possibly expect otherwise.
There’s a reason why Trump is so hysterical about passing the SAVE Act: he knows that’s how he can finally consolidate power. The SAVE Act is some serious Jim Crow bullshit.
It would be the worst piece of voter suppression, maybe in forever.
And, yet, here we are. It definitely seems like there is momentum for it to pass. And, as such, the USA is posed to become a zombie “managed” democracy like they have in Hungary, Turkey and Russia.
But we voted in Trump a second time, I guess that is what we should expect. It will be interesting to see if Trump uses the passage of the SAVE Act as a sign he can run for a third term without people really getting as nearly upset as they should.
In fits and starts, we’re reaching a point where open source AI image generators are getting good enough that they can generate high-quality celebrity porn. We aren’t there yet by any stretch of the imagination.
Right now, I’m seeing a lot of pretty good fakes of well-known actresses in one-piece bikinis. Some of them are so good that you can barely catch that they are AI-generated.
But once we reach the tipping point where people can generate unfettered AI celebrity porn, watch out. Things are going to go a little nuts on social media until someone, somewhere figures out how to tamp it down.
Or, who knows, maybe being awash in high quality AI generated celebrity porn will become the new normal. I hope not, but that’s a real possibility.
I continue to cruise through the third act of the latest draft of this scifi dramedy WIP. One issue I’m facing is the scenes of late just aren’t long enough. I’m struggling to get them to be two pages, which is annoying.
My “comp” novel.
I plan on fixing that issue when I do “color correction” as part of the next draft of the novel. It won’t really be a full new draft, but rather just a lot editing because my ability to get anyone to beta read this thing is up to debate.
I continue to not read the comp novel for my novel, “Annie Bot.” I know I should, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. Just the idea that there is a novel — especially what appears to be a feminist screed — that is so similar to my novel rattles my cage.
I have read a few pages and I already am being too hard on myself for my lousy writing. And, yet, I have to — have to — get over myself and read that novel so I can properly refer to it in my query letter.
I am also beginning to have a growing sense of unease about the querying process. This is, in a sense, the farthest I’ve ever gotten when it comes to this process of traditional publishing because I know if I actually put the work in this novel is query-level good.
There continue to be some structural problems with the novel that I’m going to have to do open heart surgery on the document to fix. That’s going to be a real pain in the ass because I’m ready to take things to the next level — seeing if I can get someone to be a beta reader.
But I’m so flat broke and generally don’t know anyone willing to be a firm but fair beta reader that, lulz, I’m going to have to lean on AI to be my “manuscript consultant” for as long as possible.
Already, AI has pointed out that my hero is way too passive. That’s one of the structural issues I’m going to have to fix.
As I understand it, the next edition of Windows — Windows 12 — is meant to be “fully agentic.” I have no clue what that would mean in real terms, but I do think that all jokes about “Clippy” aside, there is one way to integrate AI into Windows: completely re-imagine what Windows is.
Instead of a desktop, you would have an Knowledge Navigator-like interface. Maybe power users could use an XR headset to “see” their desktop. But, in general, the Knowledge Navigator route is the way to go.
By doing so, Microsoft would not only be throwing their lot in with AI, they could even dominate the space. Millions of people would be forced to use AI in ways they never ever even imagined.
Do I think this is going to happen?
Probably not. It’s still too soon. But it’s coming, I think. Even if the AI bubble bursts, at some point, we’re all going to have Knowledge Navigators instead of the traditional desktop UX.
You must be logged in to post a comment.