Do You Need an AI Policy on Every Production?

Not necessarily a separate policy for every production — but every production company should have a clear company-wide AI policy in place.

AI is already being used across development, production and post, often in small ways that can easily go unnoticed. Someone might use it for research, another person might upload a confidential document, and someone else might use a generative tool in post.

The problem is not always the tool itself. It is often that there is no clear, shared understanding of what is allowed, what needs approval and what should be recorded.

That is where an AI policy becomes important.

Start at company level

As broadcasters, streamers and distributors increasingly introduce their own AI policies and delivery expectations, production companies need to have a clear position of their own.

A company-level AI policy gives everyone a baseline.

It can set out:

• which tools are approved

• what information should not be uploaded

• when approval is needed

• how confidential material should be handled

• what should be logged

• when contributors or rights holders may need to be informed

• who is responsible for making decisions around AI use

The aim is not to make things complicated. It is to stop every production, producer or freelancer from making up their own rules as they go.

Does every production need its own separate policy?

Not always. A smaller production using AI for admin support may not need the same level of detail as a drama using generative imagery, synthetic voice or AI-assisted post-production.

In many cases, the company policy can act as the foundation, with production-specific guidance added where needed. That way, the rules stay consistent while still allowing for the fact that different productions carry different levels of risk.

The policy needs to be practical

A policy that simply says: “Use AI responsibly” is not enough.

People need to know what that actually means in practice. Can I upload this script? Can I use this tool with rushes? Can I generate an image for a pitch deck? Do I need approval? Do I need to log it? A good AI policy should help answer those questions quickly.

Why this matters more now

The industry is moving quickly. Broadcasters, streamers and distributors are becoming more specific about how AI can be used, what needs to be disclosed and what standards productions are expected to follow.

If a production company has no internal policy, it risks finding out too late that something has been used in a way that does not meet a broadcaster, distributor or client requirement. That can create unnecessary problems at exactly the point when a production should be focused on delivery.

A clear company-level policy gives teams a framework to work within, helps productions respond to broadcaster and distributor expectations, and makes it much easier to manage AI use befo

re it becomes a problem.

Alté Films supports production companies with practical AI policies, approved-tool processes and production-specific guidance.

This article is for general information only and is not legal advice.