Matti Haapoja and Sam Kolder, two prominent filmmaking YouTubers, are learning that enthusiasm for generative AI doesn’t always translate to audience approval. Both posted videos showcasing Higgsfield’s new Seedance 2.5 functionality, framing the platform as a glimpse at video production’s future. Haapoja’s video leans infomercial, walking through how Higgsfield’s feature-length film Cully Hill Boys was produced with prompts and demonstrating Seedance 2.5 by dropping AI-manipulated footage of himself into sci-fi settings. Kolder took a more narrative approach with “AI is replacing me,” a Chappie-esque short that blends real footage with uncanny AI imagery.
The problem? Neither video is labeled as an ad, and neither creator nor Higgsfield answered The Verge’s questions about whether money changed hands. Kolder’s caption includes what appears to be an affiliate link offering 30 percent off an annual Higgsfield subscription. Fans quickly connected the dots, with screenshots circulating of partnership offers from PR firms representing Higgsfield. The backlash was immediate.
Haapoja caught the sharpest criticism, including from Marques Brownlee, who pushed back on his comparison of generative AI to the Canon EOS 5D Mark II. Brownlee’s point: the DSLR was a physical tool people still had to learn, while gen AI is “trained on real human-made material without any credit.” Kolder’s comments section was more mixed, with “absolute cinema!” praise sitting alongside laments that “AI defeated our king.”
The reaction stands in contrast to Higgsfield’s other recent creator collaborations. Cully Hill Boys debuted last week to little fanfare, with criticism mostly aimed at Higgsfield itself rather than its cast. What’s different here is the perceived intent: Haapoja and Kolder’s videos read as sponsored advertising designed to warm audiences to Higgsfield specifically. It’s the same dynamic that played out earlier this month when OpenAI flew influencers to a luxury New York retreat for its “Summer Club” event. Creators endorsing AI tools become lightning rods for broader anxieties about the technology, especially when the promotional nature of their content isn’t disclosed upfront.
