Salman Rushdie Rejects AI in Storytelling While Plotting New Screen Adaptations

Salman Rushdie told Variety that artificial intelligence has “zero” role in literature, cinema or any form of storytelling. He argued that AI can only recombine existing information and lacks the capacity to create something that has never been done before, which he defines as the essence of art. Consequently, he expressed “less than zero interest” in using AI for his own projects.

Salman Rushdie Rejects AI in Storytelling, Teases Adaptations

Rushdie’s comments arrive amid a broader debate over generative-media policy, copyright, and author consent. His position places a high-profile author at the center of discussions about whether AI assistance is acceptable for works protected by durable intellectual property. The interview also revisited his history with screen adaptations, noting that only a few of his novels have successfully transitioned to film or television.

Salman Rushdie Rejects AI in Storytelling, Teases Adaptations

• Salman Rushdie – author, cultural honoree, and commentator on AI.

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• Liberatum – organizer of the 14th Cultural Honor ceremony in London (July 8, 2026).

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• Deepa Mehta – co-director of the 2012 film adaptation of *Midnight’s Children*.

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• Vishal Bhardwaj – filmmaker whose planned *Midnight’s Children* series for Netflix collapsed over budget and script concerns.

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• Netflix – cited as disapproving of the direction taken by the abandoned series scripts.

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• Alex Gibney – director of the documentary *Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie*, based on Rushdie’s 2024 memoir.

Variety MagazineSalman Rushdie Rejects AI in Storytelling, Teases Adaptations

• Production teams – developing a new multi-episode television adaptation of *Midnight’s Children* and a film version of *The Ground Beneath Her Feet*.

Salman Rushdie Rejects AI in Storytelling, Teases Adaptations

• July 8, 2026 – Rushdie receives Liberatum’s 14th Cultural Honor in London and discusses AI and adaptations.

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• January 2026 – *Knife* documentary premieres at the Sundance Film Festival.

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• Early September 2026 – Planned U.K. and U.S. premieres of *Knife*, with distribution slated for Europe and other territories.

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• 2026 onward – Ongoing negotiations for a *Midnight’s Children* television series and a film adaptation of *The Ground Beneath Her Feet*.

Salman Rushdie Rejects AI in Storytelling, Teases Adaptations

• Rushdie referenced “two or three” of his books currently in adaptation talks.

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• The 2012 *Midnight’s Children* film remains a rare successful adaptation.

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• The Liberatum ceremony marked its 14th annual cultural honor.

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Rushdie summarized his view that AI cannot originate new artistic ideas, describing it as merely a tool for aggregating existing content. He explained that the earlier Netflix-backed *Midnight’s Children* series fell apart due to financial and script disagreements, noting that the streaming platform “didn’t like the direction that the scripts took.” He confirmed renewed interest in a fresh television version of the novel and a separate film project for *The Ground Beneath Her Feet*. Regarding the *Knife* documentary, Rushdie announced scheduled premieres in the U.K. and U.S. for September and indicated that distribution deals are being secured across Europe and other markets. He declined to discuss a potential biopic, stating he finds himself “the least interesting subject.”

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Rushdie’s unequivocal rejection of AI underscores a stance that creators of enduring intellectual property may set firm boundaries on machine-assisted generation. His comments signal to policymakers and industry stakeholders that high-profile authors view originality as a uniquely human attribute, influencing ongoing debates about AI’s permissible role in cultural production.

Salman Rushdie Rejects AI in Storytelling, Teases Adaptations

• “Nothing. Zero,” — Salman Rushdie

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• “It’s not useful to creative work because AI has no capacity for originality. What it can do is suck up enormous amounts of information and produce versions of that. But what it can’t do is something nobody’s done before. And that’s what art is, is to find things people haven’t done before. So, I mean I have less than zero interest in AI.” — Salman Rushdie

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• “It’s not useful to creative work because AI has no capacity for originality. What it can do is suck up enormous amounts of information and produce versions of that. But what it can’t do is something nobody’s done before. And that’s what art is, is to find things people haven’t done before. So, I mean I have less than zero interest in AI.” — Salman Rushdie

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• “I didn’t become a writer in order to write about myself. In fact, I think I’m the least interesting subject. But I became a writer to make things up.” — Salman Rushdie

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• “I didn’t become a writer in order to write about myself. In fact, I think I’m the least interesting subject. But I became a writer to make things up.” — Salman Rushdie

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The next months will see the *Knife* documentary’s U.K. and U.S. premieres, while development teams continue to negotiate the format and financing of a new *Midnight’s Children* series and a film adaptation of *The Ground Beneath Her Feet*. Rushdie’s forthcoming novel remains in early stages, with details pending.

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