Christopher Nolan has called for studios to be accountable for protecting film copyrights as artificial intelligence changes how creative work can be used. His position parallels a musicians’ union campaign seeking a say in how recordings are licensed for AI.
“We’re very focused at the guild about holding the studios to account for protecting their copyrights,” Nolan, president of the Directors Guild of America (DGA), said on November 7, 2026. Studios generally own film copyrights, while directors’ livelihoods and residuals depend in part on how those rights are protected and used.
Musicians seek a role in AI licensing
The American Federation of Musicians (AFM) launched its Human Made, Human Paid campaign in October 2026 alongside negotiations over its Sound Recording Labor Agreement (SRLA). The campaign asks major record labels to address three issues when musicians’ recorded performances are licensed for AI:
- Consent: Musicians can approve or refuse AI training on their work.
- Credit: Their performances receive transparent recognition.
- Compensation: They receive a direct share of revenue generated through AI licensing of catalog recordings.
AFM President Tino Gagliardi has argued that labels should account for the musicians behind the master recordings they protect. The union has also challenged what it says is a failure to pay contractual new-use compensation tied to AI licensing. It set out these positions in an October 20 campaign announcement and a November 1 bargaining update.
Copyright and identity are separate rights
A company may own a recording without owning a performer’s name or identity. Ownership of a recording featuring guitarists Jay Graydon or Skunk Baxter, for example, does not by itself grant the owner rights over those musicians’ personal identities.
Copyright and protections for a person’s name, image, likeness, voice and identity have different legal foundations. That distinction matters when an AI system accepts a creator’s name as a prompt: a license to use a master recording does not automatically authorize use of the performer’s identity.
