Art Directors Guild Condemns Martin Scorsese's Advisory Role with Black Forest Labs as "A Betrayal"

The Art Directors Guild, IATSE Local 800, has issued a sharp rebuke of Martin Scorsese following his promotion of Black Forest Labs' generative AI storyboarding tool Flux and his newly announced advisory role with the company. In a public statement, the Guild accused Scorsese of turning his back on the human artists who have collaborated with him throughout his career, arguing that the tool encroaches on work that falls squarely within their members' jurisdiction—art directors, production designers, illustrators, and scenic artists among them.

The Guild's statement also raised copyright concerns, asserting that generative AI tools like Flux are built on large volumes of copyrighted material likely scraped without consent, credit, or compensation. Scorsese had defended his involvement by citing the practical value of quickly communicating visual intent to collaborators during pre-production, drawing parallels to his prior use of 3D technology on *Hugo* and de-aging VFX on *The Irishman*. The Guild's response signals an escalating tension between established Hollywood craft unions and directors who publicly embrace AI-assisted production tools.