Directors Guild of Canada issues manifesto calling for AI protections at Banff media festival, citing “efficiency is not creativity”

The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) said it has released a manifesto calling for protections related to the use of artificial intelligence across Canadian film and television production, warning that “efficiency is not creativity.” The union presented the document as part of discussions at the Banff World Media Festival, according to an industry report published June 16.

The reported move comes as production companies, streamers, and other media stakeholders increasingly explore AI-assisted workflows for tasks ranging from pre-production planning to post-production, including editing and effects. In its statement, DGC framed the issue around safeguarding creative intent and ensuring that digital tools do not displace or improperly replicate the work of directors and other on-set contributors.

At Banff, DGC and other industry players were described as mapping what comes next in the “digital age,” with attention on how future productions may be structured and governed. The manifesto was characterized as a set of proposals directed at rights, responsibilities, and expectations for how AI should be used on sets where creative labor and craft standards have traditionally been governed by established contracts and union practices.

DGC’s reported message emphasized the distinction between making production processes faster and preserving the artistic value that directors bring to a project. The union’s phrasing, as reported, positioned AI as a technology whose operational benefits should not be treated as a substitute for creative authorship or direction.

The Hollywood Reporter report did not lay out, in detail, every provision of the manifesto. As a result, it was not possible to confirm specific mechanisms in the public record described in the report, including whether DGC is seeking contractual language, disclosure requirements, consent rules, or limits on specific AI applications. The document is presented as a policy and industry guidance effort rather than a court filing, and no legal action was described in the report.

The next practical step, based on how such manifestos typically function in media policy discussions, is likely to be engagement with production companies and other stakeholders as those parties negotiate future agreements and set operational standards. While the report describes the issuance of the manifesto at Banff, it also implies ongoing work by industry groups to develop compatible rules for AI use across the Canadian production pipeline.

For performers, directors, and the broader crews that support film and television work, questions around AI touch on how credit is assigned, how consent is handled, and how responsibilities are allocated when technology is used in creative workflows. The DGC’s intervention at Banff places those questions in a public industry forum tied to Canadian media business planning rather than a closed bargaining session.