9 Story Media Group and Brown Bag Films have drafted a new policy that outlines how the company will use—and, perhaps more importantly, not use—generative AI in development and production. And it might serve as a useful precedent for the whole industry.

Now owned by Scholastic, 9 Story and Brown Bag say they will not pitch anything (including text and art) that has been created using generative AI tools. And prospective partners should note that the company now asks that materials pitched to them not include anything originated by tools such as Midjourney, DALL-E and ChatGPT. If companies do send pitches with such assets, they need to disclose it, and that information will be shared with clients, staff and contributors in advance. Third-party contractors should also not use generative AI unless they get approval from the company.

To make sure it’s approaching AI in a way that balances its cost- and time-saving value with the tech’s potential ethics issues, 9 Story and Brown Bag have set up an internal AI council to oversee its use. This small group of artists, technicians and legal execs will guide the policy through regular reviews, and the plan is to update it every six to 12 months. Some of the use- cases the group is likely to examine first include voice-overs, predictive budgeting, chatbots, animation clean-up and lip syncing, says Cathal Gaffney, Brown Bag’s managing director and COO of 9 Story.

Staffers and clients have voiced their concerns over AI hurting quality, challenging copyrights and costing jobs—all legitimate concerns. But Gaffney is pragmatic, saying that AI is here to stay and companies will only be using it more in the coming months and years. So he’d like to see every studio, broadcaster and funding agency start drafting their own policies—and he’d be happy if Brown Bag’s approach proved to be a useful starting point.

Gaffney adds that while there has been a lot of conversation about AI usage among producers—particularly in animation circles—it’s especially critical that broadcasters, as the industry’s gatekeepers, set clear standards and policies about what they will accept in content they’re considering for commission or acquisition.

The role AI plays at 9 Story/Brown Bag is sure to change substantially over time, says Gaffney. “As the tech develops, we could train it on our own IPs and use that to develop more content. [AI] is an industry conversation we all need to be having, and a topic we need to get a handle on quickly.”

The full policy is available on Brown Bag Films’ website.

Featured image: Dee & Friends in Oz

This story originally appeared in Kidscreen‘s Q3 2024 magazine issue.