It's extremely easy to disprove that lack of hard proof too. One could've individually chatgpt'd every addition before commit for proofreading. The infection of AI just gets into every nook and cranny of the process because it's so easy to reach for it
Google searches are still part of my everyday use if you're a power user like me that ctrl/cmd+L to the browser bar and the first auto complete is a web search rather than a bookmark or history item
That is disheartening about Severance, I've been meaning to catch up on s2 after a phenomenal s1. But that you're totally on point about the padding. The last good series I saw that finished well was Mr Robot, getting closer to a decade ago now. No one knows how to write a well contained long running series anymore without stretching it with slop and content.
On the other hand, you also can't have an attachment to what you want the outcomes to be. You can't expect the same in return from everyone else. Until you let go of this transactional mindset, you will grow resentful when a lot of them start canceling on you, and believe me, at your 30s and above, with all these things that compete for our time, they will.
What happens when the AI perfects the art of writing? From one turing test goalpost to the next, fooling the human utterly each time until it's forever. Is there a ceiling to this?