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
ByPareesa Afreen
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Published August 21, 2026
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 told.
Both posted videos demonstrating Higgsfield’s newly added Seedance 2.5 tool, and both are now facing accusations of running undisclosed ads for the AI platform.
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.
The second one shows 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 about his travels through Mauritania with a robot.
Neither of the videos is marked as advertisement, while the creators or Higgsfield have not answered to the question about the partnership behind the posts.
However, the controversy deepened following other artists publishing what seemed to be screenshots of the deals offered by PR agencies working for Higgsfield.
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.
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, who disagreed with Haapoja’s analogy between generative AI and the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, which made HD filming available to indie filmmakers.
Brownlee argued the comparison misses that the 5D Mark II was a physical tool people had to learn, while generative AI is trained on human-made material without credit. Kolder’s YouTube comments were more mixed, with praise for the visuals sitting alongside complaints that “AI defeated our king”.
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.
The episode echoes a similar backlash OpenAI faced earlier this month, when influencers invited to a “Summer Club” retreat posted about branded swag and drew similar accusations of undisclosed promotion.
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.
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