Using AI in Documentary Filmmaking with Stephanie Jenkins, APA Founder

Listen to this episode from IndieWire's Filmmaker Toolkit on Spotify. Filmmaker’s Toolkit Podcast with Chris O’Falt (IndieWire) Welcome to the Filmmaker’s Toolkit Podcast, hosted by IndieWire’s Chris O’Falt. This week we dive into one of the most urgent conversations in nonfiction filmmaking: the role of artificial intelligence. Like many in the film community, Chris is deeply wary of what AI means for the art form we love—but ignoring it isn’t the answer. In this episode, Chris speaks with Stephanie Jenkins, longtime producer with Ken Burns and cofounder of the Archival Producers Alliance (APA). Jenkins has been at the forefront of setting industry guardrails for AI in documentary filmmaking, spearheading the APA’s Best Practices for the Use of Generative AI in Documentaries and helping launch the AI Toolkit for Nonfiction Filmmakers. Together, they explore the promises, pitfalls, and pressing ethical questions surrounding AI in documentaries—drawing from surveys, real-world examples, and the lived experience of filmmakers working with archival materials. If storytellers and film lovers don’t engage in this conversation, Silicon Valley will shape the future of nonfiction for us. Tune in to hear an eye-opening discussion and join the dialogue on how documentary filmmakers can protect creativity, history, and truth in the age of AI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices