Interviewer: Hello and welcome to The AI Summit London. I’m joined by Alison Scorgie, AI Creative Director and Filmmaker at House of Antigone. Alison, you have an extensive background with incredible credits. Could you give us a little insight into your background?

Alison: I’ve always been a writer. Over the last 15 years, I’ve worked in advertising as a creative director, creating campaigns for major brands including Chanel and adidas, and working inside Unilever so I’ve had both agency and in-house experience. Over the last decade I’ve also built a filmmaking career where I write, direct, occasionally act, and produce narrative and comedy films. When AI emerged in recent years, I felt it was the biggest shift to hit film, and I knew I had to get involved.

Interviewer: How do you keep IP human-first—especially at the script development stage—before introducing AI tools?

Alison: For me, it’s critical to start with your own idea, and ideally your own script, before moving into AI. I’m not saying never use AI to help, but bringing your original idea first is how you protect your IP. After that, use AI for what it’s great at: structure, the “academic” side of story arrangement, and sense-checking whether your story has already been told. What it doesn’t have is humor or human experience. AI won’t give you the most unique story you can create as a person.

Interviewer: At the heart of every story is an emotional core. How do you pressure test that emotional core versus the visual prototypes AI can generate?

Alison: Start with something you’re personally connected to. If your idea is, say, a long-lost person reconnecting with someone, that story’s being told. AI can help you check novelty and enhance cultural relevance so your take feels timely and distinctive. I call it “bulletproofing” the concept. I also use AI like a psychologist to unpack character behavior; motivations, relationships, and arcs, so the emotional logic holds together before you commit to visuals.

Interviewer: Let’s talk production standards and teams. There’s a lot of “bedroom AI” content online. What are the non-negotiables for making an AI-enabled production commercially ready?

Alison: The internet is full of AI slop, which is fine for experimentation, but risky for brands and serious productions. Work with people who have client experience; it’s very different from creating without commercial constraints. Even if you admire an artist, ask whether they’ve delivered for clients before. If not, bring in an AI producer, someone who can manage the artist and navigate professional workflows. There’s a lot of brand finesse involved. It’s never correct on the first round. You need a rigorous, iterative process.

Interviewer: Thinking about teams and timelines, which roles are critical, and why should they join early?

Alison: In agency settings, ideas often originate with the existing creative team. Problems arise when someone shows a render made with an unethical tool and promises that exact output to the client. Bring in an AI producer early, they understand constraints, ethics, and workflow. AI production has a different cadence: you don’t get perfection on the first pass; you build toward it together. You’ll want AI artists and, often, VFX talent to polish and finish. Many of the best people have VFX backgrounds and have layered AI into their skillset. The big misconception is that AI filmmaking is a one-button, one-person job. In reality, you still need a small team of craftspeople across stages, just fewer than a traditional on-set production. If you’re unsure, talk to someone with commercial experience, people like me, or engage an AI producer to set up the right team.

Interviewer: Once the team is in place, how do you approach quality assurance and client governance? How do you run AI-driven proofs of concept without overpromising and still meet broadcast and brand standards?

Alison: One of AI’s best advantages, especially in commercial work, is speed to proof of concept. You can show the vision quickly and decide whether to green-light, saving significant production time. On standards and compliance: if you’re making television commercials with AI, the usual obligations still apply. Think about everything from not displaying certain brands to ensuring content is appropriate for the time of broadcast. Work closely with your client and production company to define non-negotiables. Whatever would be required for a conventional film remains required in AI, those fundamentals don’t disappear.

Interviewer: Continuing on client readiness, how do you set expectations around costs, timelines, and realism, given many assume AI is faster or cheaper? And as a second part, what does legal readiness look like?

Alison: Readiness is crucial. It’s fantastic when a client is excited about making things with AI, but there’s an education process because the workflow is different. Early examples are flexible and almost anything can change, but that means embracing iteration, which takes time. On the legal side, start with your organisation: clarify which tools are already approved. If someone on the team creates an image in a tool your company doesn’t permit, for example, Midjourney, and it isn’t cleared, you simply can’t use it. Know upfront which tools meet your company’s ethical and legal standards, then build the pipeline around those. A hybrid approach can also help: shoot actors and combine them with generated worlds. You license the actor’s likeness and performance and then make changes afterward within the agreed terms. It’s a much more ethical and clear framework for rights and usage.

Closing

Alison Scorgie is an AI Creative Director and Filmmaker with over a decade of experience across journalism, advertising, and film, specialising in emotionally intelligent, zeitgeist storytelling that drives commercial growth. 

As the founder, writer-director, and development producer at House of Antigone, she bridges traditional filmmaking and technology, leveraging AI to support both digital and analog productions. 

Most recently, she served as Creative Director on a series of UK, US AI and live-action hybrid TVCs. Beyond her own productions, Alison consults as an AI Director for emerging AI film startups and as a Creative Director for agencies and iconic brands including Chanel, adidas, Dove, L’Oréal, and Levi’s.