DreamWorks has included a warning in The Bad Guys 2 credits that makes it clear the film should not be used to train AI, as the future of artificial intelligence warps and becomes uncertain for creatives.
DreamWorks Studios included a clause at the end of the credits for the film that lets viewers know it cannot be used to train AI — and if it is, lawyers will come knocking.
“All rights in this work are reserved for purposes of laws in all jurisdictions pertaining to data mining or AI training, including but not limited to Article 4(3) of Directive (EU) 2019/790,” reads text revealed by X / Twitter user Rendy Jones, shown at the end of the credits. “This work may not be used to train AI.”
The end credits of BAD GUYS 2 said “screw AI. Try stealing our work! It’ll be a crime to your artless ass.” All I must say to this is SAY THAT SHIT WITH YOUR WHOLE CHEST DREAMWORKS ANIMATION! SPEAK ON IT! pic.twitter.com/odsS6mWvfx
— Rendy Jones (@rendy_jones) July 29, 2025
The Bad Guys 2 doesn’t premiere in theaters until August 1 but some eagle eyed viewers caught the sting at the end of the credits during early screenings. Clearly, DreamWorks is laying down the law.
To be fair, it isn’t the first time the studio has been vocal about keeping its work out of the hands of AI models. The live-action remake of How To Train Your Dragon, which premiered in June, also had a similar tag at the end of the credits, making sure folks knew the legal repercussions of attempting to use any part of the film in an AI program.
Not everyone in Hollywood has the same attitude, however. Last year, Netflix said audiences “don’t much care” about either budgets for film and TV, or even the technology used to make them, and that generative AI was “a great way for creators to tell better stories.”
Last month, Disney joined forces with Universal to sue Midjourney for copyright infringement, stating that the AI-powered image generator is a “bottomless pit of plagiarism.”
Shrek is one of the properties that is being cited as part of Midjourney’s infringement offenses, as well as Marvel characters, Star Wars characters, Despicable Me’s iconic Minions, and others. According to a BlueSky user who combed through the docs, there are over 30 comparisons between studio artwork and Midjourney outputs.
Further, according to the docs, this suit has been percolating since November 2024, when Midjourney was served a demand letter — essentially an attempt to settle an issue out of court — from Disney, but it failed to respond and then proceeded to develop more models that reportedly infringed on existing copyrights. Universal recently served the company another demand letter at the end of May, which means the studios finally decided to hit the gas pedal on taking down Midjourney.
Generative AI is one of the hottest topics within the video game and entertainment industries, which have both suffered massive layoffs in recent years. Generative AI thus far has drawn criticism from players and creators due to a mix of ethical issues, rights issues, and AI’s struggles to produce content audiences actually enjoy.
In March, social media platforms were flooded with AI-generated Studio Ghibli-inspired images as part of a trend sparked by the launch of OpenAI’s new GPT‑4o image generator. It caused a vociferous debate that resurfaced anti-AI comments from creator Hayao Miyazaki.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
