AI, the law and filmmaking

Defending creative sovereignty in the age of AI

Creative sovereignty, the ability to own and protect the products of our mind, is the foundation of the knowledge economy. It is what allows researchers, technologists and artists to make a living from experimentation and creation. Yet this sovereignty is increasingly precarious, challenged by the rise of generative AI and the opaque legal frameworks surrounding it.

At UWE Bristol, we are not standing by in the face of this challenge. Through collaboration with the creative industries, we are embedding legal expertise directly into practice with the RENO project, ensuring that innovation remains ethical, sustainable and defensible.

The RENO project

RENO is an experimental sci-fi short film produced by Lux Aeterna VFX Studio, the multi-BAFTA and Emmy award-winning studio based in Bristol. Described by lead Creative Technologist James Pollock as “an interrogation of process and possibility – practically, creatively and ethically,” RENO pushes boundaries in virtual production, generative AI and machine learning.

But RENO is more than a film. It is a living laboratory where UWE Bristol researchers embed intellectual property law into the creative process. Over three years of bi-weekly meetings, studio visits and public events, our academic, Dr Cobus Jooste, has worked side by side with Lux Aeterna to interrogate the risks and opportunities of AI in filmmaking. This collaboration is funded by MyWorld Creates, a UKRI-backed global centre for creative technology innovation and involves partners from the University of Bristol and Bath Spa University.

Applying legal knowledge in real time

Traditionally, the law reacts after the fact. But with AI reshaping creative industries at speed, waiting is not an option. UWE Bristol’s legal research academic took a proactive stance: embedding themselves in the RENO project to anticipate challenges before they became crises.

This approach transformed the project into a case study in responsible creativity, with three focus areas:

Intellectual property – Who owns AI-generated output? Can studios reuse material produced by AI? What if models are trained on unlicensed content?
Ethics – How do we address bias, hallucinations and unattributed content in AI outputs? Who is accountable for errors?
Sustainability – What are the environmental costs of AI? How does automation affect human resource investment and originality?

By requiring detailed logs of creative processes and AI engagement, Lux Aeterna and UWE Bristol are co-developing a code of good practice and set of warnings – the initial lessons were first unveiled at the WE R LegalTech Festival 2025. This framework is already shaping industry conversations.

Empowering industry to respond

When government proposed sweeping exceptions to copyright law to allow AI training without permission or compensation, many artists lacked the knowledge to respond. Thanks to the RENO collaboration, Lux Aeterna – armed with UWE Bristol’s legal expertise – was able to publish a powerful open letter to government, offering a legally informed critique of the proposals.

The RENO project demonstrates the value of embedding academia into industry: empowering creatives to defend their rights, influence policy and drive systemic change.

Knowledge exchange in action

The RENO project has become a beacon of knowledge exchange. Lessons learned have been shared globally – from World VFX Day in Japan to Bristol’s Festival of Tech, Creativity & Culture. These sessions have sparked new collaborations across the South West creative industries, expanding the impact far beyond the film itself.

By crystallising complex legal and ethical insights into practical guidance, UWE Bristol is equipping industry with the tools to navigate AI responsibly.

Research with purpose

The RENO legal case study reflects the spirit of UWE Bristol’s RISE strategy by uniting creativity and technology with culture, community and sustainability. Through embedding intellectual property law and broader legal ethics into AI‑driven film production, the project shapes future creative practice while strengthening Bristol’s role as a global hub for innovation. At the same time, its focus on ethics and environmental impact ensures that advances in AI contribute to resilient futures rather than eroding them.

The RENO project is still evolving, and as the film nears release new layers of intellectual property law will come into play, particularly around global distribution in digital environments. At the same time, the UWE Bristol researcher remains engaged in wider debates, continuing to challenge proposals that would exempt creative works from licensing for AI training.

Through this ongoing collaboration, the project contributes to the evolving conversation at the intersection of AI, law and film making – helping creative industries navigate today’s challenges while exploring the ethical frameworks that will guide future practice.