THE JOINED / ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE POLICY
PRO ARTIST.
PRO CREATIVITY.
Every medium is valid. Every tool has a place. Human imagination is what makes the work matter.
Our approach to AI is the same as our approach to cameras, CGI, editing software and music technology: support the person making something creative.
01 / OUR POSITION
WE SUPPORT
THE CREATOR.
NOT A TOOLBOX.
The Joined supports people who make art. We do not exclude a creative work simply because of the technology used to make it.
Photography did not invalidate painting. Digital cameras did not invalidate film. CGI did not invalidate practical effects. GarageBand and digital audio workstations did not invalidate musicianship. AI should be considered with the same openness to technological change.
What matters is the imagination, artistic choices, direction, effort and responsibility of the person creating the work.
HUMAN CREATIVITY FIRST.
02 / CREATIVE FREEDOM
DIFFERENT TOOLS.
THE SAME RIGHT TO CREATE.
The Joined does not impose a hierarchy of supposedly “real” and “less real” creative mediums.
CAMERAS & EDITING
Analogue film, digital cinema, photography, colour grading, compositing and editing are all valid creative practices.
CGI & ANIMATION
3D modelling, digital painting, animation, motion graphics, virtual production and visual effects belong here.
GARAGEBAND & DAWs
Music software, samples, synthesisers, sound libraries, audio processing and electronic composition are tools for creative expression.
PRACTICAL CRAFT
Instruments, sets, costumes, handmade effects, sculpture and traditional methods remain equally valuable.
MIXED TECHNIQUES
Combining traditional, digital and AI-assisted methods is welcome. Creative disciplines have always influenced one another.
GENERATIVE AI
AI-assisted imagery, video, music, sound and writing can be accepted where a person meaningfully directs the creative work and meets this policy.
03 / INDEPENDENT CREATORS
BIG IDEAS.
SMALL BUDGETS.
A filmmaker should be able to tell a story even without access to a composer, sound-effects artist, VFX team or a full crew.
AI can help independent filmmakers and artists test ideas, build worlds, create missing elements and complete work they could not otherwise afford to make.
We welcome that resourcefulness. We do not demand that independent artists hire specialists they cannot afford as a condition of being considered creative.
At the same time, we celebrate the knowledge, craft and livelihoods of composers, actors, animators, writers, designers and other creative professionals. The best use of technology can open new opportunities for them too.
04 / HUMAN CREATIVE INTENT
WHO IS
MAKING THE CHOICES?
There is no single acceptable amount of AI involvement. What we look for is genuine human creative contribution.
That contribution might be writing a screenplay, directing performances, conceiving a visual world, selecting and refining generated material, composing a narrative, editing a sequence or making the artistic decisions that give a piece its meaning.
AI-assisted work is not automatically less worthy than work made through traditional or other digital techniques. Equally, presenting uncurated machine output as a personally handcrafted contribution can mislead audiences and collaborators.
Our test: Can the creator explain the idea they were trying to express, the choices they made and the role technology played?
05 / HONESTY & DISCLOSURE
TELL US HOW
YOU MADE IT.
Members sharing AI-assisted work should disclose meaningful generative AI involvement. Disclosure is not a warning label or a judgement on artistic quality; it gives viewers and collaborators an accurate understanding of the work.
WHEN TO DISCLOSE
When generative AI creates or materially transforms substantive elements of a finished work—such as images, footage, dialogue, voices, music, sound effects, writing or a depicted performance.
WHAT TO SAY
Explain briefly which elements used AI and, where useful, the creator's own role: for example, “Written, directed and edited by me; AI-assisted visual effects and score.”
WHAT DOESN'T NEED A LABEL
Ordinary use of digital cameras, CGI, GarageBand, editing software, spellcheck or routine technical automation does not by itself trigger an AI disclosure. Use of a tool is not the same as generative authorship.
DON'T INVENT CREDITS
Do not claim a musician, actor, designer, writer or effects artist performed work that was actually generated by AI. Credit real contributors accurately, with their agreed roles.
Where The Joined introduces AI-related upload labels, additional fields or programme-specific rules, those may provide a more consistent way to share this information.
06 / RIGHTS, CONSENT & RESPECT
CREATIVE FREEDOM
COMES WITH RESPONSIBILITY.
RESPECT RIGHTS
Only upload material you have the right to share. AI use does not cancel copyright, licences, contracts or other applicable rights.
GET CONSENT
Do not use someone's recognisable face, identity, private material or voice in a misleading synthetic portrayal without appropriate permission or other valid authorisation.
NO IMPERSONATION
Do not present synthetic performances as genuine recordings of a real person, or mislead people about who said, sang or performed something.
NO DECEPTIVE CLAIMS
Don't misrepresent AI-generated content as documentary evidence, real footage, an authentic testimonial or a human-created asset when that distinction is material.
CREDIT COLLABORATORS
Give real people fair and accurate acknowledgement for their actual contributions, and honour agreements regarding credits and usage.
FOLLOW COMMUNITY RULES
AI-generated or AI-assisted content must meet the same safety, privacy and moderation requirements as any other upload.
07 / WHERE WE DRAW THE LINE
NOT ANTI-AI.
ANTI-EXPLOITATION.
We do not ban a medium because it is new or because somebody dislikes the tool behind it.
We may restrict or remove material when its creation, presentation or distribution infringes rights, violates consent, deceives people in a harmful way, or breaches our platform policies or applicable law.
We will not permit AI to be used as a shortcut for harassment, non-consensual intimate imagery, identity abuse, fraud or other harmful conduct.
The same principles apply regardless of whether something was made with AI, traditional visual effects, photo manipulation, sound editing or another technique.
Our standard is conduct and content, not prejudice against a particular medium.
08 / FILMS, ART, MUSIC & SHOWCASES
LET THE WORK
SPEAK FOR ITSELF.
AI-assisted work can be eligible to be shared on The Joined, subject to the same publishing rights, content standards and programme rules as other work.
FILM & VIDEO
Welcome human-directed stories using live action, animation, CGI, AI-generated shots or a combination.
MUSIC & SOUND
Welcome artists using instruments, DAWs, synthesis, samples or AI-assisted sound in creative compositions.
ART & WRITING
Welcome traditional, digital, hybrid and AI-assisted art and storytelling.
REVIEW & DISCOVERY
Selection and moderation should consider creative merit, disclosure, permissions and programme-specific requirements.
An individual festival, award or curated programme may publish specific entry criteria; any such criteria should be clearly disclosed and should not be confused with a platform-wide ban on a creative medium.
09 / A POLICY THAT CAN EVOLVE
TOOLS CHANGE.
VALUES STAY.
New ways of making art will continue to emerge. The Joined does not want to be the gatekeeper that rejects the next camera, instrument or creative medium.
We will review this policy as technologies, laws and community expectations develop. We may introduce clearer disclosure options, provenance information and moderation procedures as the platform grows.
We want to listen to the artists who use these tools and the creative professionals whose work is affected by them—not treat either group as disposable.
10 / POLICY QUESTIONS
LET'S TALK
ABOUT IT.
Have a question about disclosure, consent or whether your work meets this policy? Want to raise a concern about an upload? Contact The Joined through the legal enquiries form.
We consider reports in context. This page is a statement of platform principles, not a substitute for applicable law or the Terms & Conditions.
LEGAL & POLICY ENQUIRIES
Questions, reports and constructive feedback are welcome.
LEGAL ENQUIRY.
Contact us about our Terms, intellectual property or another legal matter.
THE JOINED / THE PRINCIPLE
ALL TOOLS.
ALL MEDIUMS.
REAL CREATIVITY.
It's the human imagination that makes something worth sharing.