Standards for Generative AI (with the Archival Producers Alliance)

Generative artificial intelligence (GAI) is flooding our world with a dizzying amount of generated material and is beginning to change every aspect of producing films. The documentary industry does not yet have guidelines in place for how filmmakers can ethically incorporate these new tools. Generated material presented as “real” in one film will be passed along—on the internet, in other films—creating the danger of forever muddying the historical record. If we allow the commingling of the real and the unreal without distinction or transparency, if neither images nor audio can be believed, then the integrity of the nonfiction genre runs the risk of being hopelessly compromised.

The newly-formed Archival Producers Alliance (APA) is working to create guidelines so that GAI is used in accordance with the journalistic values the documentary community has long upheld. This session will bring together the co-founders of APA with three expert respondents who will talk through a draft of the guidelines, and along with the attendees of the session, offer feedback on how best to word and implement these standards. The ultimate goal will be to create a set of principles that will be adopted as norms by filmmakers, production companies, platforms, awards bodies, and distributors throughout the industry.

Established in 2023, the Archival Producers Alliance was founded as a way for archival producers to come together, create community, and develop best practices around their unique role within the film industry.

Moderators: Jennifer Petrucelli, Stephanie Jenkins, and Rachel Antell (APA)
Respondents: Elizabeth Woodward (Another Body), Jon-Sesrie Goff (Ford Foundation) and Shana Swanson (ITVS)