Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used by Indian screenwriters in their work even as long-standing concerns around pay, credit and professional recognition continue to dominate sentiment, according to “The Right Draft: 2026,” a new industry research report released by talent agency Tulsea and media insights firm Ormax Media.
Based on a nationwide survey of 254 professional screenwriters, the second edition of the study finds that AI adoption is already widespread across age groups. Forty-one percent of respondents said they use AI tools at least sometimes in their writing process, while half said they do not view AI as a threat to their careers.
At the same time, the report highlights growing concern about the impact of AI on timelines and perceptions of creativity. Nearly seven in ten respondents said the presence of AI reduces the perceived value of human creativity in the eyes of producers, and 50% said producers now expect faster turnaround times because they assume writers will use AI.
Three-quarters of surveyed screenwriters said AI can be helpful at certain stages of the writing process, particularly during early development such as pitches, references and first drafts. More than 70% said writers who use AI do not feel comfortable revealing it publicly.
“With the second edition of ‘The Right Draft,’ we wanted to deepen the industry’s understanding of writers’ on-ground experiences – across pay, credit, feedback, nurturing structures, and now AI,” said Chaitanya Hegde, co-founder of Tulsea Media. “The data points to some meaningful shifts and some stubborn constants. Our hope is that the report helps move conversations from perception to process, and towards more consistent, fair, and creator-friendly systems.”
Those “stubborn constants” are reflected most sharply in compensation trends, which have deteriorated compared with findings in 2023. Nearly 74% of respondents said they do not feel they are paid fairly for their work, up from 63% three years ago. More than half said payments are not made in a timely manner, and almost four in five reported having to constantly follow up to receive money that is contractually due.
Performance-linked compensation remains rare. Two-thirds of respondents said they have never been offered profit-sharing or bonuses tied to box office or viewership, and have never asked for such structures.
Credit and visibility continue to be another major pain point. Over half of screenwriters disagreed with the statement that writers are given fair credit for their work, while nearly two-thirds said there is no defined industry standard for crediting that producers and platforms consistently follow. More than half said they do not receive equal credit when co-writing with directors, and over 60% reported similar experiences when collaborating with senior writers.
Theatrical cinema remains the format where scripts are perceived to carry the least weight. Only 6% of respondents said producers value scripts over stars in theatrical films, compared with 83% who said stars dominate. While streaming and television fare better, the perceived value of scripts on streaming platforms has declined since 2023.
The report also points to a decline in access to mentorship and support structures. Just 19% of respondents said they have access to good mentors, down from 30% in 2023, while 76% believe the industry does not provide adequate infrastructure to help writers develop their craft. Fewer than four in ten said they have access to effective grievance-redressal mechanisms.
“Writers sit at the core of the storytelling ecosystem, yet too many friction points remain structural rather than episodic,” said Shailesh Kapoor, founder-CEO of Ormax Media. “By measuring writer sentiment across key dimensions, ‘The Right Draft’ is intended to be a practical input into how the industry can build stronger alignment, accountability, and creative ownership.”
Organised across seven sections – The Right Pay, The Right Credit, The Right Feedback, The Right Value, The Right Nurturing, The Right Tools and The Right Environment – “The Right Draft: 2026” expands on the 2023 edition by incorporating emerging formats such as microdramas and examining the impact of AI on writing workflows alongside ongoing structural challenges around compensation, credit and support for screenwriters.