Observed Signal · Jun 2, 2026 · Partnership · Source: techcrunch · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
Martin Scorsese Joins AI Image Startup Black Forest Labs
Martin Scorsese has signed on as a partner and adviser to AI image-generation startup Black Forest Labs, while saying he will use the technology solely for storyboarding. Black Forest Labs is a roughly 70-person company based in Freiburg, Germany, that powers image features inside Adobe, Canva, Microsoft and Meta. The startup was last valued at $3.25 billion and counts investors including BroadLight Capital, co-founded by Scorsese’s talent manager Rick Yorn. The company was founded by the team behind Stable Diffusion and reportedly declined a recent partnership with Elon Musk’s xAI after earlier collaboration on Grok’s image generator ended amid content-safeguard concerns. The move is framed as another sign that parts of Hollywood are becoming more receptive to generative AI tools, even if use is limited to production workflows like storyboarding.
Celebrity adviser deal signals increased Hollywood openness to generative AI and highlights a well‑valued image-AI startup integrated into major creator platforms, but it is not a major platform policy or technical release.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Martin Scorsese signed on as a partner and adviser to Black Forest Labs.
- Scorsese said he will use Black Forest Labs’ technology solely for storyboarding.
- Black Forest Labs is a ~70-person startup headquartered in Freiburg, Germany.
- Black Forest Labs powers image features inside Adobe, Canva, Microsoft and Meta.
- The company was last valued at $3.25 billion and has investors including BroadLight Capital (co-founded by Rick Yorn).
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Martin Scorsese Advises Black Forest Labs
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