Do You Need To Say An Ad Used AI?

Short answer, sometimes. Whether you must show a visible label depends on the platform, the market and whether the creative could be read as a real person or as an endorsement. We publish how the work is made and do not apply per file labels automatically. If you need certainty about wording, placement or language, put those requirements in the brief and the contract.

Why disclosure is being asked for

We see platforms, regulators and audiences asking for disclosure because the question is factual: does an image, voice or scene present a real person, or is it presented as a lived endorsement? That makes the decision editorial and legal rather than technical, and it turns production options into items the brief must resolve.

On our responsible AI production page we set out the questions we can answer today and name the ones we have not written down. It is a working draft, not a legal policy, and it explains what we have decided and what remains to be agreed project by project.

We recommend starting the project assuming visible disclosure may be needed whenever an effect alters a claim of fact or personal experience. Decide early whether to label, where the label will sit in each aspect ratio, and which languages it must appear in so design, blocking and finishing can accommodate the note.

What we publish

We do not hide how the work is made. The method page describes our directed pipeline and the six stages so you can see where decisions land before anything is built. Read it early so the brief is informed from the start.

We fix every sequence in writing at the treatment and shot sheet stages. Shot sheets break a sequence into directed shots before a single frame is generated, with blocking, lensing and lighting decided in writing. That is where you can specify whether any on screen note is part of the composition rather than an afterthought.

Per file disclosure is not standardised. Our responsible AI production page makes clear we do not yet apply content credentials, embedded provenance metadata or an on screen label as a default. Whether a delivered master carries a visible disclosure is currently the client's decision where they publish.

When a visible note matters

We treat a visible note as essential when generated material could reasonably be read as a real person speaking, or when the piece implies a testimonial or lived experience. If the creative asks viewers to accept an event or endorsement as having genuinely happened, treat disclosure as part of the strategy rather than an ad hoc delivery change.

If your brief requires a named person on camera or an identifiable voice, we require the permission and its scope to be agreed in writing before production. Make any required disclosure wording part of the project agreement so the instruction can be included in the shot sheets.

We have not published a local legal rule that sets wording, placement or language for Dubai or other markets. Ask the platform and the relevant regulator for their guidance and get their reply in writing. Then put that wording and placement into the brief and the contract.

How to put disclosure in the brief

Treat labelling as a deliverable, not a hope. Put the exact on screen wording, the placement and the languages you require into the brief and the contract, and name who is authorised to approve the copy. That removes ambiguity and prevents last minute rework when a platform reviewer asks for a change.

Begin the brief by listing the disclosure you expect, who signs it off, and which formats and languages carry it. Use the project brief form to record these instructions. Our creative director reads the brief and replies within 24 hours, so putting it in writing makes the requirement actionable from the first reply.

If you want us to build the label into the masters, say so in the brief. That lets the director include the instruction in the shot sheets rather than leaving it as a delivery change. Versions you review will then include masters with the label applied in every aspect ratio and language required.

What the calculator shows and does not

Use the Every Market Calculator to test how versions alter the numbers. It compares published Dubai shoot ranges with the published computing and dubbing cost of generating the film you describe, and it shows the source of every figure it uses so you can see where each line comes from.

We stress the calculator is a comparison, not a quote. The computing column leaves out our direction, design, review, finishing and fee, so neither column is our price. Use it to explore how extra formats or languages change the two columns, then put any disclosure requirement into the brief before you ask for a confirmed price.

The tool also flags when a brief needs a real shoot. Its guidance lists the cases where filming is the better answer: a named person on camera, a live event recorded once, a physical product that must be shown exactly as it is, a required approval that needs actual footage, or a real recognisable location that must be the real place.

A short checklist to agree in writing

Agree six items in writing before production. First, the exact wording of any on screen note, including punctuation and casing. Second, which formats and which languages must carry it. Third, name the person authorised to approve the copy and any translations so there is no ambiguity at review and delivery.

Fourth, how supplied brand assets will be used and whether they are retained after the project ends. The responsible AI production page says we do not train models on a client's supplied assets and we do not reuse them on another client's work, but no standard retention rule exists. Write the handling and retention terms into the contract.

Fifth, how likeness and voice permissions are proved, with consent forms supplied before work begins. Sixth, who is responsible if a platform or regulator rejects the ad or demands different wording or placement. Produce versions that include the label so the client can review the masters side by side before publication.

Sources

• This page sets out how the studio works today and where its practice is not yet written down as policy: https://www.vsnry-motion.com/responsible-ai-production, read 18 October 2026.
• The studio does not hide how the work is made: https://www.vsnry-motion.com/responsible-ai-production, read 18 October 2026.
• Per file disclosure, provenance metadata and on screen label are not in place as a default: https://www.vsnry-motion.com/responsible-ai-production, read 18 October 2026.
• Every project is directed by a human creative lead: https://www.vsnry-motion.com/responsible-ai-production, read 18 October 2026.
• Every sequence is broken into directed shot sheets before generation: https://www.vsnry-motion.com/method, read 18 October 2026.
• Characters are held steady and dialogue matched with frame accurate lip sync: https://www.vsnry-motion.com/method, read 18 October 2026.
• The calculator's computing figure leaves out the studio's work and fee, so neither column is the studio's price: https://www.vsnry-motion.com/services, read 18 October 2026.
• Work is produced as versions compared side by side rather than committed to on the day: https://www.vsnry-motion.com/responsible-ai-production, read 18 October 2026.
• The studio's creative director reads the brief and replies within 24 hours: https://www.vsnry-motion.com/brief, read 18 October 2026.
• The studio's tools compare published Dubai shoot ranges with computing and dubbing costs and show sources: https://www.vsnry-motion.com/services, read 18 October 2026.