Using artificial intelligence (AI) within the UK screen sector raises “significant legal, ethical and practical challenges,” such as the use of copyrighted material used without the permission of the rights holder, the report warns.
Other issues highlighted in the British Film Institute (BFI) report include protecting human creative control, the fear of losing jobs as positions are replaced through AI use, and investment in training new skills.
Risks for high energy consumption and carbon emissions, as well as creative content surrounding biased data, are also described as concerns.
The report, conducted in collaboration with Goldsmiths, Loughborough and Edinburgh from Costar Universities, analyzes how the screen sector is using and experimenting with rapidly evolving generator AI technology.
The “main issue” was the use of copyrighted materials such as hundreds of thousands of film and television scripts, and warned that in training the generated AI model, it was without payment or permission from the rights holder.
“This practice underestimates intellectual property creation and threatens the fundamental economics of the screen sector when squeezing out the original creator,” the report states.
However, the strong foundation in UK creative technology is home to over 13,000 creative technology companies, meaning that the UK screen sector is suited to adapt to technological change.
The report said the title of AI in the Screen Sector: Advances Perspectives and Paths is committed to democratizing and revolutionizing the industry, for example, using the BBC piloting AI initiatives.
Meanwhile, projects such as Channel 4 and the Charisma Consortium, backed by Aardman animation, aim to give creators access to AI tools regardless of budget or experience.
While concerns about copyright and ethical use remain a major barrier to full adoption, he said this could empower a new wave of UK creators to produce high-quality content with modest resources.
The report sets out nine key recommendations that suggest that the UK screen sector needs to be addressed within the next three years to ensure successful use of AI.
These include establishing the UK as a global leading market for AI training IP licensing and embedding sustainability standards to reduce AI carbon footprint.
It also seeks structure and interventions to pool knowledge, develop workforce skills and seek target investments in the UK's creative technology sector, but encourages the support of independent creators through accessible tools, funds and ethical AI products.
Rishi Coupland, Director of BFI Research and Innovation, said: “AI has long been an established part of the screen sector's creative toolkit, recently seen in Oscar-winning brutalist post-production, whose rapid advances have attracted millions of investments in technology innovator applications.
“However, our report is at a critical time, showing how generative AI presents inflection points for sectors, and as a sector, we need to act quickly on many important strategic aspects.
“It offers great opportunities for the screen sector, including speeding up production workflows, democratizing content creation, and enhancing the power of new voices, but it could erode traditional business models, emit skilled workers, and undermine public trust in screen content.
“The report's recommendations provide a roadmap for how the UK's leading film, television, video games and VFX industries will continue to thrive by making the most of AI technology and bringing creativity, innovation and storytelling to screens around the world.”
Professor Jonny Freeman, director of Costar Foresight Lab, said:
“This report acknowledges that AI provides powerful tools to increase creativity, efficiency and competitiveness at every stage of the production workflow, from script development and production planning to onset production, to post-production and distribution, while also raising urgent questions about skills, workforce adaptation, ethics and sector sustainability.”
Costar is a £75.6 million research institute network developing new technologies to maintain the UK's world-leading position in gaming, television, film, performance and digital entertainment.
Last month, stars, including Ir. Elton John, Ir. Paul McCartney and Ian McKellen, wrote a joint letter to Ir. Kiel's star, urging the Prime Minister to plunder safeguards against his work for free.
