UK Sales Company Promotes ‘No AI Used’ Film Labels and Advocates for Industry Standards
The Mise En Scene Company (MSC), a UK-based sales firm, is making headlines with its new branding initiative for EFM marketing: a bold “No AI Used” label. This move aims to establish a “global industry standard” that informs audiences about the use of technology in film production.
MSC’s initiative was inspired by A24’s disclaimer featured at the end of its horror film, Heretic, which noted that no generative AI was involved in the filmmaking process.
Recent MSC titles include the Al Pacino and Charlie Heaton film Billy Knight as well as Forge, starring Kelly Marie Tran and Andie Ju.
According to Paul Yates, CEO of MSC, 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,” Yates explained. “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.”
MSC is advocating for collaboration among film companies, festivals, and governments to develop a centralized, internationally recognized certification system for human-created cultural works, “similar to organic food or fair-trade labeling.” This initiative aims to help audiences better understand the nature of the films they are watching.
“The dominant AI narrative is about speed and cost, half the time, half the price,” Yates stated. “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 has clarified that it is not anti-AI and may acquire films employing generative AI, but insists on better transparency. “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 labeling 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 has initiated discussions with international partners about potentially extending this label initiative beyond film to encompass publishing, music, and visual arts.
In related news, the Motion Picture Association in the U.S. recently urged ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, to halt the use of copyrighted works in its new AI model, Seedance 2.0, which has gained attention for creating deepfakes of actors Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise.
