The Art Directors Guild publicly criticized Martin Scorsese for partnering with Black Forest Labs and promoting their AI system FLUX, arguing it sidelines human Local 800 artists who normally contribute to film visualization.

Scorsese has framed his experimentation with AI storytelling tools as creative liberation that can speed preproduction costs and timelines, presenting AI as a potential ally rather than a threat.

The piece notes an ongoing industry debate about AI’s future in cinema and the influence leaders may have on adopting or resisting AI tools in production.

Readers are urged to review the ADG’s full statement and related Deadline coverage for more detail.

A separate Trump-era executive order on AI proposes a 30-day review period for new AI models before release, illustrating ongoing political influence on AI governance.

The union cites broader industry challenges, including a 2024 study linking AI to threats to creative workers, and notes membership declines from 3,492 in 2022 to 2,966 in 2025 amid industry contractions.

The controversy followed ADG’s June 9, 2026 social post, after Scorsese had earlier confirmed the collaboration earlier in June.

The article raises questions about Scorsese’s future involvement with Black Forest Labs and signals that further updates are expected.

Scorsese remains active on multiple projects, including a supernatural film with Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, and Mads Mikkelsen, and a Hawaiian period crime film with a tentative 2027-2028 shoot window.

Current projects include the supernatural feature What Happens At Night and a Disney/20th Century Studios Hawaii-set crime epic, with DiCaprio, Emily Blunt, and Dwayne Johnson, with significant script work and planned revisions this summer.

Historical context includes AI-related terms negotiated by the Directors Guild of America in 2025, highlighting ongoing industry vigilance.

The article mentions broader tech disruption in creative fields to illustrate the inevitability of AI adoption across industries.