Band discovers AI was used behind their backs and vows to fight back
Fontaines D.C. plans to ban AI in future music videos after discovering undisclosed AI use during production of Marianne.
Irish band Fontaines D.C. intends to introduce contractual restrictions on artificial intelligence after discovering that the technology had been used during production of one of its music videos without the group's knowledge.
Frontman Grian Chatten revealed that the band only learned about the AI involvement after the video for Marianne had been released, despite more than 110 people working on the production.
The discovery has raised questions about transparency in creative projects and whether performers should have greater control over the technology used by external production teams.
How the band discovered AI had been used
Speaking in an interview published on 21 October, Chatten explained that he became aware of the issue after reading an article discussing AI's involvement in the video.
He contacted the band's management, who confirmed that AI had been used somewhere in the production workflow or post-production process.
Chatten stressed that the video's principal effects involved conventional visual effects and physical prosthetics, rather than being entirely generated by artificial intelligence.
The distinction is important because the controversy concerns the undisclosed use of AI during production, not evidence that the whole video was AI-generated.
According to Chatten, neither the band nor its management had been informed beforehand.
New contracts could prevent future disputes
The singer has said Fontaines D.C. intends to introduce a clause into future contracts preventing AI from being used in its music videos.
Such a restriction would establish clearer expectations for directors, visual-effects specialists and production companies before filming or post-production begins.
The decision reflects a growing concern across creative industries about how AI tools are introduced into projects, particularly when artists have not explicitly agreed to their use.
Although AI-assisted processes can sometimes be difficult to distinguish from conventional digital effects, the band's objection centres on consent and creative control.
For filmmakers and other creative professionals, the controversy highlights the importance of agreeing how new technologies may be used before production begins.
Fontaines D.C.'s proposed contractual change could offer one practical approach, ensuring that the people whose work is being represented have a clearer say in how the finished material is created.
