- 46% of young people surveyed across the UK would be overall less likely to watch a film or TV programme if they knew AI had been used extensively in its production.
- 71% would still prefer film and TV content to be made primarily by people, even though 46% believe AI could improve its overall quality.
- 90% believe film and TV productions should be required to disclose when AI has been used in their production.
- 74% overall agree that human creativity should remain central to film and TV production, and that human-made productions feel more original.
- 53% are uncomfortable with AI being used to alter or replicate an actor's appearance, voice or performance.
- 81% believe they can spot when AI has been used.
Nearly half (46%) of young people surveyed across the UK would be less likely to watch a film or TV programme if they knew AI had been used extensively in its production, even though a similar proportion believe AI could improve the quality of what they watch, a new British Council survey has found.
The poll of 2,001 16–24-year-olds builds on previous British Council research that found Gen Z overall ranked film and television as the UK cultural export with the greatest potential to shape global culture over the next decade.
The findings come as the role of AI in filmmaking has become one of the industry’s most debated topics. Following the use of generative AI in a small part of his film Ink, director Danny Boyle recently told Vanity Fair: “It doesn’t really matter what I think about AI. It matters what 20-year-olds think about it.”
Human creativity valued over a “perfect” product
Nearly three-quarters (74%) of respondents strongly or somewhat agreed that human creativity should remain central to film and television production, while the same proportion said human-made productions were likely to feel more original. 63% said knowing that AI had been used to create a film or television programme would make it harder for them to connect emotionally with the content.
Almost two-thirds (62%) overall agreed that using AI could risk making different productions look or feel too similar. A similar proportion (64%) agreed that artists and creative teams should play a leading role in deciding how AI is used in production.
Most support an AI certification scheme
Transparency emerged as the clearest area of consensus. Nine in ten respondents (90%) said film and television productions should be required to disclose the use of AI - either whenever it had been used or when it had informed a major creative decision - while 73% expressed interest in a formal labelling or certification scheme showing how AI had been used in the production process.
The expectation was strongest for films watched in cinemas (71%), followed by television programmes (70%) and films watched on streaming platforms (69%). However, a majority also considered disclosure important for videos made by online creators (66%), advertising and branded content (64%), and short-form videos on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram (61%).
AI preferred as a supportive tool, rather than a creator
While young people clearly prioritise human creativity, the findings suggest they are more comfortable with AI performing supportive, rather than creative, roles.
Young people drew a clear distinction between AI supporting production tasks such as budgeting, scheduling and audience analysis (49% very or fairly comfortable versus 23% very or fairly uncomfortable), and AI taking on creative responsibilities or altering performers’ identities.
More than half (53%) said they were overall uncomfortable with AI being used to alter or replicate an actor’s appearance, voice or performance. Young people were also more likely to feel uncomfortable than comfortable with its use in creating music, sound effects or artificial voices, and in writing or editing scripts and dialogue.
Young people confident they can spot AI
Confidence in identifying AI-generated content was high, with 81% of respondents believing they can always, often or sometimes tell when it has been used.
Young people were more divided over what a greater role for AI could mean for the UK’s international cultural standing. Just over a third (36%) believed it would make UK film and television overall more distinctive globally, while an equal proportion believed it would make it overall less distinctive.
The findings build on the British Council's work in artist-led innovation, including its major report Why Technology Needs Artists: 40 International Perspectives, which found that artists and creative communities play a critical role in shaping new technologies rather than simply responding to them, from improving the cultural inclusivity of AI systems to building public trust in emerging tools. The report argues that when artists help lead technological development, the result is innovation that is more resilient, more representative, and more attuned to human and social values.
Briony Hanson, Director of Film at the British Council, said: "These findings underline how strongly young audiences across the UK value human creativity, while hopefully inviting a more nuanced conversation about the use of AI in screen production. They appear more comfortable with AI as a supportive production tool than as a substitute for creative judgement or performance. Young people are not simply for or against the technology: their views depend on how and where it is used. For the sector, the message is clear: transparency and meaningful creative oversight will be essential to building and maintaining audience trust."
Chantal Harrison-Lee, Interim Director of Arts at the British Council, said: "These survey results reflect what we have seen in the wider arts and cultural sector - people don't want to be passive recipients of new creative technology, they want a say in how it's shaped and how it's used. Young audiences telling us they want transparency and human oversight, along with nearly two-thirds agreeing AI could compromise the originality of a production, reflects the belief that the best technology is that which supports rather than drives creativity."