Compliance
Client contracts are banning AI
Original interview with Haley MacLean of Voyer Law
What happened
GamesRadar+ published an interview with Haley MacLean, a video-game lawyer, on 12 August. She said no-AI wording has moved from some publishing agreements to routine boilerplate. Her view is based on the contracts she reviews.
This is one lawyer’s experience in game publishing, not a survey of agency contracts. Still, contracts set the boundary before a team starts work. Waiting until delivery leaves the decision to someone else.
What a clause covers
A clause can ban named AI uses or require written consent. Silence leaves the question open until a client asks. That is a poor time to find different expectations.
What silence means
What silence means: It leaves the question open until a client asks. That is a poor time to discover different expectations.
Why it matters here
Large agencies have counsel and procurement teams to catch contract changes. A small agency often finds the clause while work is already moving.
The risk is not every AI use. It is promising work before anyone has agreed what is allowed. This is not legal advice. Ask a lawyer to review high-value contracts.
Do this by Friday
The account lead lists each current AI use in client work. Give it one hour, then decide which uses need a client conversation.
01
List every AI use in current client work.
02
Mark the uses clients may object to.
03
Check live agreements for AI wording.
04
Ask for written boundaries before new work starts.
Try it now
Here is our client agreement and a list of AI uses in this project. Identify any clause that restricts, requires consent for, or leaves unclear those uses. Write five plain-English questions for our lawyer before we sign.
Also in that Monday’s email
Worth watching: Marketing agents promise a full week in an hour.
Safe to ignore: No verified item this week.
Run it properly
The Client Report Playbook
The full job, stage by stage, if this week’s steps open a bigger conversation.
Members get every briefing four weeks earlier.
They had this one while there was still time to act on it. In AI, a month is a long time: this week’s briefing is already with them.
