The Mise En Scene Company has debuted a “No AI Used” certification for its entire EFM slate, publicly verifying that its films contain no artificial intelligence.
The London-based outfit launched the initiative with high visibility at this year’s European Film Market in Berlin: a pair of billboards at Potsdamer Platz promoting MSC’s key titles “Forelock,” starring David Krumholtz, and “Billy Knight,” starring Al Pacino and Charlie Heaton. The new certification appears prominently on both.
MSC CEO Paul Yates positioned the effort as a defense of human creativity amid the surge of machine-generated material entering the entertainment sector, rather than a rejection of technological tools.
“We’re entering a tectonic shift,” Yates said. “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 company drew inspiration from U.K. filmmaker and digital rights advocate Beeban Kidron, along with the Human Artistry “Stealing Isn’t Innovation” campaign. Both have challenged governmental policies on copyright and AI training. The initiative expands upon A24’s labeling strategy for its horror film “Heretic.”
MSC is urging the industry, festivals and policymakers to establish a unified global verification framework for works created entirely by humans, drawing parallels to consumer labels like organic or fair-trade designations that would help viewers distinguish content made without generative AI tools.
“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.”
The CEO stressed the company’s position doesn’t constitute opposition to artificial intelligence. “We support AI as a tool,” Yates said. “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.”
Alessandro Spano, a legal expert in cyber law, AI and innovation at King’s College London and CityUHK, added: “The relationship between human intelligence and artifical intelligence in the creative industries reminds of Schrödinger’s cat story. It is a paradox. Is the cat dead or alive? It is both. It is a measurement problem. Is human intelligence in the creative sector dead or alive? It is both. It is another paradox. It is another measurement problem. With the ‘No AI Used’ initiative, Paul Yates’ The Mise en Scène Company is pioneering this debate.”
MSC has opened conversations with partners internationally about bringing the certification beyond cinema into sectors including publishing, music and visual art.
variety.com
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