The Art Directors Guild has criticized Martin Scorsese for taking an advisory role with AI startup Black Forest Labs, saying the partnership sidelines the human artists who have long shaped film production design.
In a statement posted on social media Tuesday, the guild said Scorsese was “turning his back on the human artists” who have contributed to many of his best-known films. The group objected to his involvement in a promotional video for Black Forest Labs and its generative AI product, FLUX.
According to the guild, Scorsese’s comments in the video suggest that the software can help filmmakers communicate visual ideas to their crews. The organization argued that such work belongs to the art directors, graphic artists, illustrators, production designers, scenic artists, set designers and other union professionals represented by Art Directors Guild Local 800.
The guild said Scorsese’s promotion of the tool bypasses those creative workers and threatens jobs that have traditionally been handled by human artists. It framed the issue as both a labor concern and an artistic one, noting that film crews have collaborated for decades to turn directors’ ideas into visual plans.
Black Forest Labs announced Scorsese as an advisor on June 2, saying the filmmaker would help the company “push the bounds of creativity” and create richer experiences for audiences. In a statement on the company’s website, Scorsese said cinema is still an evolving medium and that filmmakers need to stay open to new tools.
He pointed to earlier technological shifts in his own work, including the use of 3D in Hugo and de-aging effects in The Irishman. Scorsese said the AI tool could help him communicate what he is imagining more clearly and efficiently to his creative team, including the production designer, art designer and cinematographer, so they can build on those ideas.
The guild’s criticism places Scorsese in the center of a growing debate in Hollywood over generative AI and the future of creative labor. Many artists and below-the-line workers have raised concerns that AI tools could replace paid design work or weaken the role of specialized craftspeople in film and television production.
Scorsese has not publicly responded to the guild’s statement. A representative for the director did not immediately return a request for comment.
The backlash did not come only from labor groups. Filmmaker Boots Riley also weighed in on social media after the Black Forest Labs announcement, suggesting Scorsese’s involvement may have been motivated by financial reasons. Riley, known for I Love Boosters, speculated that the director’s family may have received a large payment and said he believed the AI sector would eventually fail.
For now, the dispute reflects a larger tension in the entertainment industry as high-profile creatives and technology companies increasingly partner on generative AI products. Supporters say the tools can speed up ideation and communication. Critics argue they may undermine the artists whose work has defined film production for generations.