AI filmmakers are under fire over their sudden Higgsfield promotions: Here’s why

Technology AI filmmakers are under fire over their sudden Higgsfield promotions: Here's why Fans accuse Matti Haapoja and Sam Kolder of running unlabeled ads for Higgsfield's Seedance 2.5.

Key points

• Both posted videos demonstrating Higgsfield's newly continued Seedance 2.5 tool, and both are now facing accusations of running undisclosed ads for the AI platform.
• The video description of Kolder contains an affiliate link that provides a discount of 30% on the annual subscription to Higgsfield.
• Filmmaking creators Matti Haapoja and Sam "Kold" Kolder have spent the past few days learning what happens when an audience suspects it's being sold something without being informed.
• The second one demonstrates the Seedance 2.5 by inserting himself in the sci-fi scenes after AI manipulation.
• Pareesa Afreen is a reporter and sub editor specialising in technology coverage, with 3 years of experience.

In his video, Haapoja explains how the feature film "Cully Hill Boys", featuring the AI-generated versions of N3on and Matt Kiatipis, has been created only based on prompts in Higgsfield's project.

In practice, the second one demonstrates the Seedance 2.5 by inserting himself in the sci-fi scenes after AI manipulation. "AI is replacing me" by Kolder starts with his genuine experience in video creation and proceeds with the fiction regarding his travels through Mauritania with a robot.

While the creators or Higgsfield have not answered to the question regarding the partnership behind the posts, neither of the videos is marked as.

Nevertheless, the controversy deepened after other artists publishing what seemed to be screenshots of the deals offered by PR agencies working for Higgsfield.

In practice, the combination of the timing and the nature of the two videos allowed the audience to understand that Higgsfield was hiring filmmakers to promote itself, regardless of whether there was any direct financial transaction involved.

Notably, the video description of Kolder contains an affiliate link that provides a discount of 30% on the annual subscription to Higgsfield.

On Threads, Haapoja faced harsh criticism, especially from Marques Brownlee. This person disagreed with Haapoja's analogy between generative AI and the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, which created HD filming available to indie filmmakers.

While generative AI is trained on human-made material without credit, brownlee argued the comparison misses that the 5D Mark II was a physical tool individuals had to learn. Kolder's YouTube comments were more mixed, with praise for the visuals sitting alongside complaints that "AI defeated our king".

Meanwhile, the reaction to Cully Hill Boys itself was comparatively muted when it debuted last week, with its licensed cast facing little direct criticism since they weren't involved in production the way Haapoja and Kolder were in promotion.

When influencers invited to a "Summer Club" retreat posted regarding branded swag and drew similar accusations of undisclosed promotion, the episode echoes a similar backlash OpenAI faced earlier this month.

Pareesa Afreen is a reporter and sub editor specialising in technology coverage, with 3 years of experience. She reports on digital innovation, gadgets, and emerging tech trends while ensuring clarity and accuracy through her editorial role, delivering accessible and engaging stories for a fast-evolving digital audience.

Taken together, the developments around AI filmmakers are under fire over their sudden Higgsfield promotions: Heres why point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.