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YouTube creators face backlash over undisclosed Higgsfield AI promos

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YouTube creators face backlash over undisclosed Higgsfield AI promos

Over the past few days, prominent filmmaking YouTubers Matti Haapoja and Sam "Kold" Kolder each posted videos demonstrating AI platform Higgsfield, built around its recently added Seedance 2.5 video-generation feature. Neither video was labeled as an ad, and neither creator answered The Verge's questions about whether the posts were paid partnerships. After the article was first published, Higgsfield PR manager Nuray Omarkhan said the creators were compensated through a negotiated combination of monetary payment and Higgsfield credits, and the article was updated on August 21 to reflect that confirmation. Around the same time, other creators began sharing what appeared to be screenshots of partnership offers sent by PR firms working for Higgsfield, feeding the impression that the company was systematically courting creators to boost its profile. Haapoja's video plays like an infomercial: he explains how Cully Hill Boys, a Higgsfield feature film starring AI-generated duplicates of YouTubers Mikyle "N3on" Rafiq and Matt Kiatipis, was produced entirely from prompts, and he demonstrates Seedance 2.5 by placing AI-manipulated footage of himself into science-fiction settings. Kolder's video, titled "AI is replacing me," opens with his background in video production before turning into a fictionalized narrative in which he explores Mauritania with a robot; its caption includes what looks like an affiliate link offering a 30 percent discount on an annual Higgsfield subscription. Reaction split by platform and audience. On Threads, Haapoja drew heavy pushback, including from Marques Brownlee, who objected to Haapoja comparing generative AI to the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, the DSLR credited with making affordable 1080p filmmaking possible for independent creators. Brownlee argued the comparison did not hold because, unlike a camera people had to learn to operate, generative AI is trained on real human-made material without any credit. Kolder's YouTube comments were more mixed, with praise for the cinematography sitting alongside comments like "AI defeated our king." The backlash to these two videos was notably louder than the response to Cully Hill Boys itself, which debuted quietly the week before; criticism of that film mostly targeted Higgsfield rather than its cast, who licensed their likenesses but were not otherwise deeply involved in production. The piece also points to OpenAI's recent "Summer Club" retreat, where influencers invited to a luxury New York resort posted about the trip and OpenAI-branded swag, drawing similar irritation from followers even without full promotional videos.

Key facts

  • Matti Haapoja and Sam "Kold" Kolder posted unlabeled videos promoting Higgsfield's Seedance 2.5 AI video-generation feature.
  • Higgsfield PR manager Nuray Omarkhan confirmed, after publication, that the creators were paid through a mix of money and Higgsfield credits.
  • Other creators shared screenshots of partnership offers from PR firms working for Higgsfield, fueling accusations of a coordinated influencer push.
  • Marques Brownlee publicly criticized Haapoja's comparison of generative AI to the Canon EOS 5D Mark II on Threads.
  • Kolder's video caption carried an affiliate-style link offering a 30 percent discount on an annual Higgsfield subscription.

Why it matters

The episode is a case study in how AI companies are using creator marketing to build legitimacy, and how quickly that can backfire when the sponsorship is not disclosed. Higgsfield used well-regarded filmmakers, not typical tech influencers, to make its product look like a creative tool rather than an ad buy, which is precisely what made the lack of disclosure land harder once it surfaced.

Who it affects

It directly affects Haapoja and Kolder, whose personal brands rest on being seen as independent filmmakers rather than paid promoters, and it affects Higgsfield, whose PR manager had to confirm compensation after the fact rather than have it disclosed upfront. It also touches the cast of Higgsfield's film Cully Hill Boys, who licensed their likenesses for AI duplicates, and other creators who say they received similar partnership offers from PR firms working for the company.

How to use it

There is no product or pricing action for readers here; the only commercial detail in the source is that Kolder's video caption carried what looked like an affiliate link offering a 30 percent discount on an annual Higgsfield subscription.

How solid is it

The account rests on The Verge's own reporting, including screenshots circulated by other creators and an on-the-record confirmation from Higgsfield's PR manager, Nuray Omarkhan, added to the story after initial publication. The dollar amount paid to the creators and the identity of the PR firms involved are not disclosed in the source.

Risks and caveats

Neither Haapoja nor Kolder has directly confirmed or explained the terms of their arrangement with Higgsfield to The Verge; the confirmation came solely from Higgsfield's own PR manager. The source does not say how many creators received offers beyond the two named, nor when the videos were first posted beyond "over the past few days."

“the creators were compensated through a negotiated combination of monetary payment and Higgsfield credits”

— Nuray Omarkhan, Higgsfield PR manager