Academy President Janet Yang Calls for AI Ethics Framework at Sundance

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Janet Yang made a forceful case for slowing AI adoption in Hollywood during a February 11, 2026, panel at the Sundance Film Festival. Speaking alongside filmmaker Noah Segan in a session hosted by The Hollywood Reporter and Autodesk, Yang called for the industry to establish "basic principles" before rushing headlong into generative AI deployment.

The panel, held in Park City, Utah, addressed mounting concerns among filmmakers about AI's rapid integration into production workflows. Yang's remarks signal growing institutional support for guardrails on AI technology, reflecting anxieties that have intensified since OpenAI's Sora and Google's Veo models demonstrated text to video capabilities in late 2024.

Trust Erosion and Data Transparency

Yang emphasized the urgent need for scrutiny of AI training data, warning that unchecked model development erodes trust across the creative community. "We need to slow down and define our terms," she said, according to Yahoo Entertainment's coverage. "We need to investigate these models and understand where they're getting their data."

Her concerns align with recent legal challenges to AI companies. Multiple lawsuits from publishers, visual artists, and authors have alleged copyright infringement through unauthorized training corpus use. Yang's position reflects a broader push among creators to require explicit consent and compensation before their work feeds generative systems.

The Hollywood Reporter's account of the panel highlighted Yang's focus on "basic principles," a phrase that recurred throughout her remarks. She argued that without foundational ethical standards, AI adoption risks creating a two tiered industry where those with capital exploit technology at the expense of working creators.

Independent Filmmakers and AI Access

Noah Segan, the indie filmmaker sharing the stage, offered a complementary perspective on AI's potential to democratize production. He acknowledged the technology could lower barriers for creators without studio backing, but echoed Yang's caution about implementation speed.

The conversation underscored a tension within the filmmaking community. While some directors view AI tools as empowering, others fear they'll displace jobs and concentrate power among tech platforms. Yang's remarks positioned the Academy as sympathetic to the latter camp, prioritizing worker protections over innovation for its own sake.

IMDb News briefly covered the panel, noting that AI dominated discussions throughout Sundance 2026. Multiple sessions addressed generative models, reflecting the festival's role as a bellwether for independent cinema's direction. The Hollywood Reporter also produced video coverage of the Yang-Segan conversation, available on their site and YouTube.

Creators Coalition on AI: Four Pillars

Yang's Sundance comments build on work she began in late 2025 through the Creators Coalition on AI (CCAI), a group she co-founded with filmmaker Daniel Kwan, actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and actress Natasha Lyonne. CCAI released its framework in December 2025, outlining four core pillars for ethical AI use in entertainment.

Transparency, Consent, and Compensation: CCAI demands that AI developers disclose training data sources and secure permission from rights holders. The coalition argues that creators must be compensated when their work trains commercial models.

Job Protections: The group calls for safeguards preventing wholesale replacement of human workers. This includes contract language requiring disclosure of AI use in production and preserving collective bargaining rights.

Anti-Misuse Guardrails: CCAI advocates for restrictions on deepfakes, unauthorized voice cloning, and other manipulative applications. The coalition has urged platforms to implement content provenance standards, making AI generated media identifiable.

Preserving Human Creativity: The fourth pillar positions human artistry as irreplaceable. CCAI rejects the notion that AI can or should substitute for directorial vision, performance, or writing. Instead, the coalition argues AI should serve as a tool under human control, not an autonomous creator.

The coalition's website lists hundreds of signatories, including Ben Affleck, Kristen Stewart, and other A list talent. A December 2025 Hollywood Reporter piece on CCAI's launch described the initiative as an attempt to preempt a "race to the bottom" where studios prioritize cost savings over creative integrity.

Industry-Wide Standards Without Blanket Rejection

Unlike some activist groups calling for outright bans on generative AI, CCAI takes a regulatory rather than prohibitionist stance. Yang and her co-founders acknowledge AI's potential benefits, particularly for pre-visualization, post production efficiency, and accessibility tools. The coalition's goal is industry wide standards that channel those benefits toward equitable outcomes.

Daniel Kwan, in a February 6 Hollywood Reporter interview tied to a related Sundance panel, elaborated on this approach. "We're not anti-technology," he said. "We're pro-creator. If AI is going to reshape how films get made, then creators need a seat at the table defining those rules."

AI FILMS Studio provides tools that align with this philosophy, offering text to video and image to video capabilities while maintaining transparency about model training and usage rights. The platform enables filmmakers to experiment with generative workflows without sacrificing control over their creative process.

The Path Forward

Yang's Sundance appearance comes as guild negotiations loom over Hollywood's AI future. SAG-AFTRA secured limited protections around digital likenesses in its 2023 contract, but many members view those terms as insufficient. The Directors Guild and Writers Guild face similar pressure to address AI in upcoming bargaining rounds.

The Academy's engagement through Yang suggests institutional players recognize they cannot ignore creator concerns. Whether that translates into enforceable policy remains uncertain. CCAI's four pillars offer a roadmap, but implementation will require cooperation from studios, tech companies, and regulators who may not share the coalition's priorities.

For now, Yang's call to "slow down" reflects a broader sentiment among filmmakers wary of ceding creative autonomy to platforms optimizing for scale. As AI capabilities accelerate, the question is whether Hollywood can establish ethical guardrails before market forces render them moot.

Explore AI FILMS Studio's approach to transparent AI video generation or read more about Joseph Gordon-Levitt's ethical AI advocacy.

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Sources

The Hollywood Reporter: "Janet Yang, Noah Segan on Hollywood and AI at Sundance (Exclusive Video)" Published: February 11, 2026 https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/janet-yang-noah-segan-hollywood-ai-1236502163/

Yahoo Entertainment: "Janet Yang Calls for 'Basic Principles' Around AI Use in Filmmaking" Published: February 11, 2026 https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/movies/articles/janet-yang-calls-basic-principles-165252613.html

IMDb News: "Janet Yang and Noah Segan Discuss AI and Independent Filmmaking at Sundance" Published: February 11, 2026 https://www.imdb.com/news/ni65703000/

Creators Coalition on AI: "Our Principles" https://www.creatorscoalitionai.com/

The Hollywood Reporter: "Hollywood Creators Launch Coalition on AI With Hundreds of Members" Published: December 2025 https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/hollywood-creators-coalition-on-ai-launch-members-organization-1236450293/

The Hollywood Reporter: "Daniel Kwan on Why Hollywood Needs an AI Coalition: 'We're Pro-Creator'" Published: February 6, 2026 https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/daniel-kwan-ai-interview-creators-coalition-hollywood-1236497265/