Most consent problems in AI production are not malice; they are missing files. A collaboration made sense in a chat thread in March, the images are selling in June, and by September nobody can produce the message where likeness use was agreed. Desks that handle other people’s material keep a blotter for a reason. Treat consent the same way: a small, boring record, created before the first generation and kept with the content it covers.
The minimum viable record
For every real person whose face, body or photos enter your workflow, keep four things together: identification (who they are, and how you verified they are an adult), scope (what may be made — stills, clips, swaps, undress transformations — stated in words, not assumed), term (how long the permission runs, and whether it can be withdrawn), and the agreement itself (a signed release, or at minimum a written exchange in which the scope is stated and accepted — saved as a file, not left inside a chat app).
Rules that keep the record honest
- Scope is literal. Consent to appear in clothed stills is not consent to undress transformations. If a new use appears, the record gets a new line, agreed before the job runs.
- Withdrawal is real. If a collaborator revokes, production stops and published pieces come down. A record system that cannot execute a withdrawal is not a consent system.
- Fictional characters need a different file. For a purely generated character there is no person to consent — but keep the standing brief and first frames on file, because “this performer is fictional” is a claim you may one day need to show your working for.
- Store records with the catalogue. The folder for a set should hold its consent record next to the deliverables, so an audit never becomes an archaeology project.
When in doubt, do not generate
The economics are asymmetric: one undocumented set can cost an account, a storefront and a reputation, while the set you skipped costs a week. TradingTools’ rules mirror this — uploads and swaps require adulthood and consent, and moderation will ask for the documentation. Having it on file, dated and scoped, is what professional looks like.