A practical rights checklist for AI-assisted commercial concepts

An AI-assisted concept can make an idea easier to discuss. A storyboard or rough commercial gives a team something concrete to react to before committing to a shoot. That creative value does not answer every question about the material inside the draft or the permission to distribute it.

Build a review process that follows the asset from input to intended use. The goal is to let people explore ideas while keeping ownership, consent and approval questions visible at the points where they matter.

Decide what the draft is for

Write down whether the asset is an internal concept, a client review draft, a casting reference or material intended for public distribution. Identify who may see it and how it should be labeled. A file made for internal discussion should not become a public advertisement simply because someone can download it.

Use a clear draft label and a version identifier. Keep the creative brief and the reviewer’s direction connected to that version. When the concept changes, the team should be able to see which assets and assumptions changed with it.

Review the inputs before generation

List the materials the team intends to provide: scripts, brand assets, photographs, reference footage, music, voice recordings or performer likenesses. Confirm the permission and approved purpose for each category before putting it into a service.

Review the service’s relevant terms and your organization’s data-handling policy. Confidential scripts and client material may need different handling from public brand references. Do not assume that access to an asset means permission to upload it to every tool.

Treat performer consent as its own decision

A recognizable face or voice raises questions that a creative approval alone does not resolve. Under the applicable SAG-AFTRA Commercials Contracts, digital-replica creation and use have specific consent and compensation provisions. SAG-AFTRA explains the requirement for consent before creation and informed consent before use in its official Commercials Contracts guidance.

Have the appropriate business affairs or legal reviewer determine what applies to the proposed use. Keep the authorized scope, duration and supporting consent with the relevant asset. A general release or a past engagement should not be treated as an automatic answer to a new digital-replica request.

Keep creative contribution and source history

Record who wrote or revised the script, selected shots, edited the sequence and made the final creative choices. Keep the meaningful versions and the inputs needed to explain the work. A useful history is selective and understandable; it does not require distributing every internal prompt to every viewer.

The U.S. Copyright Office distinguishes questions about digital replicas, copyrightability and AI training in its AI research and reports. Do not treat an AI tool’s export button as confirmation of copyright ownership or clearance of third-party material. Those questions require a review of the actual work and rights involved.

Make distribution a separate approval

Before an asset leaves the review audience, confirm the intended channels, territory, duration and applicable disclosures. Review music, brands, performer rights and any other identifiable third-party material in the final version. If a shot changes after approval, determine whether the change affects the earlier clearance.

• Define the audience and purpose of the draft.
• Check permission and confidentiality for the inputs.
• Identify any recognizable performer likeness or voice.
• Preserve consent and scope where required.
• Keep the approved version and meaningful creative history.
• Require a specific decision before public distribution.

The Campaign Studio demonstration shows real local workflows for a brief, storyboard, draft and editing tools. It uses fictional campaign data and is labeled as a local demo. It illustrates creative development; it does not establish performer clearance or general production access.

Use the checklist as preparation for a qualified rights review, not as a substitute for one. A clear boundary between a useful concept and an approved public asset makes the creative process easier to manage.