Pluribus Takes On AI With An Easter Egg Hidden In The Credits

Apple TV premiered the first two episodes of Vince Gilligan’s new show, Pluribus, on November 7, 2025, and eagle-eyed fans noticed a pointed message in the credits from the showrunner. “This show was made by humans,” the credits announced. This statement makes Gilligan the latest to weigh in on generative AI being used to make movies.

Gilligan is best known for the hit shows Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, which take place in the early 2000s world of meth-cooker Walter White and his associates. Before that, Gilligan cut his teeth on shows like The X-Files and even helped pen an episode of its spin-off, The Lone Gunmen, about remotely flying a plane into a building.

Pluribus harks back to Gilligan’s science fiction roots: it is about the very few people who are immune to an alien disease that artificially makes those who have it into an optimistic and happy hive mind. Apple TV has already ordered two seasons of the show, and Gilligan cast his stalwart leading lady from Better Call Saul, Rhea Seehorn, in the starring role.

“I hate AI,” he said in an interview, likening it to a cow chewing cud: “an endlessly regurgitating loop of nonsense.” He elaborated that the machines used to manufacture generative AI take up a lot of energy and resources, but produce “plagiarism.”

Gilligan is not alone. 80s sitcom star Justine Bateman sponsors the CREDO 23 Film Festival, which only accepts entries that do not use AI. CREDO 23 includes Juliette Lewis on its board, and Giovanni Ribisi has also been involved. Gilligan also noted that Frankenstein director Guillermo del Toro is another major director who has shunned AI, saying he’d “rather die” than use it in his films. Gilligan referred to del Toro as “a national treasure” in response.

With its themes of delirious, unthinking happiness, Pluribus seems like it should be an allegory for the generative AI Gilligan used its credits to protest. However, the showrunner assures us that he’s had the idea kicking around for over a decade. As with Gilligan’s other work, Pluribus just happens to have dropped at the right time to be the most effective.

The first two episodes of Pluribus are on Apple TV. Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are both on Netflix.