UK sales firm The Mise En Scene Company (MSC) is branding its EFM marketing with a “No AI Used” label and has called for a “global industry standard” to be implemented so audiences know whether films have used the tech.
MSC says it was inspired by A24’s disclaimer at the end of horror movie Heretic, stating that no generative AI was used in the making of the film.
MSC’s recent titles include Al Pacino and Charlie Heaton movie Billy Knight and Forge with Kelly Marie Tran and Andie Ju.
According to company CEO Paul Yates, the goal is not to oppose technology, but to “protect human authorship as a cultural and economic category at a moment when AI-generated content is flooding creative industries”.
“We’re entering a tectonic shift,” explained Yates. “Human artistry is about to become more valuable and more vulnerable than ever. If we don’t define it, label it, and protect it, it will simply disappear into the noise.”
The firm wants film companies, festivals, and governments to work toward a centralised, internationally recognised certification system for human-made cultural works, “similar to organic food or fair-trade labelling”, so audiences better understand the nature of what they’re watching.
“The dominant AI narrative is about speed and cost, half the time, half the price,” Yates said. “That logic turns art into churn. Film has to define itself as the opposite of that, or it loses its soul and its economic power.”
MSC says it isn’t anti-AI and could acquire films that have used generative AI but wants better signposting. “We support AI as a tool,” Yates continued. “But we believe it’s essential to clearly distinguish AI-generated material from human expression. Without clear labelling and standards, we risk being overwhelmed by a flood of synthetic culture. A24 was right to add it into the credits but we believe we need to take this idea further.”
The company says it has begun discussions with other international partners about expanding the label beyond film into publishing, music, and visual art.
This week, the Motion Picture Association in the U.S. called on the Chinese owner of TikTok, ByteDance, to cease the use of copyrighted works in new AI model Seedance 2.0, which has drawn attention for a Brad Pitt vs. Tom Cruise deepfake.
Deadline’s sister publication Variety has this week reported on a new casting call for Doug Liman’s upcoming Bitcoin biopic which states that AI may be used to “adjust” performances and that the use of AI tech will see actors performing on a “markerless performative capture stage”, negating the need to use any real locations.