What Hollywood and Broadway Must Do to Lead the AI Transparency Movement
by Patrick McAndrew
December 10, 2025
When The Dust Settles
AI, AI, AI. Just when we think we didn’t hear enough of it…again! AI! And it’s ever more prevalent across the entertainment industry. AI use is starting to appear in scripts. It’s being used as a tool for visual effects, casting, and replicating performances. It’s wild, and it’s all happening so fast. The 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes showed that, in many ways, labor fights are now AI fights, especially around disclosure, consent, and credit. Even theatre and live performances are eyeing the impact of AI, pushing for protections around digital doubles and data rights. But what happens when the hype has died down a little bit? What about when we all start talking a little less about AI?
Why AI Transparency?
Thankfully, with as much conversation as there is about AI, there is a healthy dose of conversation around responsible AI as well. Maybe not as much, but at least it exists. AI transparency is major pillar in responsible AI adoption. AI transparency helps people better understand how an AI system operates, how it was created, and how it makes decisions. Simply put, it helps us, as a society, understand how these systems work. The thought, in doing so, is for all of us to understand how these AI systems affect us and how we, in turn, can interact with these systems safely, effectively, and properly (especially because, despite what others may have you believe, AI isn’t needed for everything).
Especially because most of us are not AI engineers, it’s critical to position AI transparency in a way that makes everyone comprehend how it’s being used. It is of no help if we are using technical jargon that will go over most peoples’ heads. Putting AI transparency in the context of the industry, in a ‘language’ that such professionals will absorb, is paramount.
It’s Time for the Entertainment Industry to Step Up
Here’s what the entertainment industry, from Hollywood to Broadway, needs to do to ensure that AI transparency remains at the forefront of adoption and innovation:
1. Standardized AI Usage Disclosures
Every production should outline and require clear labeling of AI involvement in every production, be that through editing, visual effects, voice cloning, digital crowds, etc. This is not too big of an ask. A production company can have a watermark or badge in the credits that signifies where the AI content was used. Production companies and studios can come together to align on best practices so that every entertainment organization is not reinventing the wheel for these disclosures.
2. Transparent Consent and Licensing
Performers, writers, and other creatives need clear language in their contracts that mention the use of scans, replicas, and model training of their work. This also involves new contracts, new consent, and new compensations for new work. It is critical that studios reference performances as licensed source material and treat it as such. Having the artist in mind, while profits may be luring, creates a much more sustainable industry.
3. Auditable AI Pipelines
Productions must practice traceable AI pipelines with regards to what data is used, what models are trained on, what was generated, etc. Independent audits of AI systems should be highly encouraged. Readiness and risk assessments must be performed. Entertainment executives must set up their governance in a way that makes audits possible, not only for the betterment of those that they hire, but to avoid legal fines and penalties as well.
4. Audience Transparency
It should never be the case where a performance is presented in a way that makes you think it was a real human-being when it wasn’t. On-screen notices for fully synthetic characters or program notations for AI-assisted design are worth bringing to audiences’ attention. Yes, while we go to the theater or the movies to escape from reality, it’s important to distinguish human artistry from the artificial.
5. Clear Accountability and Enforcement
It’s not out of the realm of possibility that every production should name some sort of responsible AI officer or producer who is accountable for AI use and disclosure. Having a point person can be a huge advantage to studios and production houses, as regulators will increasingly be administering fines and penalties for those who don’t comply. Industry agreements should specify such penalties for undisclosed AI use. This alone is an opportunity for studio executives to get ahead rather than being dragged by the changing times.
6. Industry-Wide Standards and Governance
It’s only a matter of time until we see production companies, agencies, and others from Hollywood to Broadway come together to establish industry-wide standards and governance for practicing AI transparency. Developing classification tiers, governance practices, and aligning with leading tech standards will only grow more and more important as the years progress. This is part of our mission at the Future of Entertainment Alliance; bringing professionals from entertainment and tech together to determine proper standards while protecting artists in the process.
Keeping Humanity Central
This is only a small sampling of the work that needs to be done. If we are transparent with how we are using AI, especially when it comes to creative industries, we will be better positioned to protect IP, copyright, and artists, while also being able to take advantage of the opportunities that AI provides. At the end of the day, it must be about elevating the human experience. Afterall, entertainment is a storytelling medium, and nothing connects us better to one another than stories. We can harness AI as a tool and, when we do so responsibly, we can expand the human imagination and create immersive, storytelling experiences that we might not have fathomed prior. The possibilities are endless; we just need to make sure we don’t get too ahead of ourselves. If we do, we humans might just be left in the dust.
Patrick is a responsible AI strategist, writer, and actor based in New York City. He is the Founder of the Future of Entertainment Alliance, a new initiative that advocates for human creativity in entertainment as emerging technologies like AI continue to revolutionize the industry. Patrick’s work focuses on the benefits of implementing responsible AI practices with expertise in entertainment and media. He currently works on the responsible AI team at HCLTech and has worked for the Responsible AI Institute and the Entertainment Community Fund.