A look at 10 companies that are looking to mold cutting-edge tech into must-have tools for the industry The AI gold rush has hit showbiz, even as the tech-fueled race to riches remains fraught. Morphing at a mind-bendingly fast pace, artificial intelligence technology has roiled the entertainment industry, which remains split between those convinced that it can be a powerful tool for creative expression and those wary of its potential to introduce “cinema illiteracy” and cut humans out of the equation. Variety takes a look at how 10 companies are taming the AI beast with specific use cases that creatives can get behind in a way that keeps them firmly in control and respects copyrights.
Some of the industry’s household names have been at the forefront of AI. This spring Netflix announced the surprise acquisition of Ben Affleck’s InterPositive AI start-up. Amazon MGM and Lionsgate have both appointed AI leaders, and Google, a foe and friend alike to creatives, has partnered with Oscar-winning talent through its DeepMind unit in a bid to strengthen its relationship with filmmakers.
Alongside the old guard, there’s a new one: a collection of companies not afraid to ruffle feathers, promising an unprecedented — and controversial — leap in how films are made. Such is the case with Particle 6, the brash creator of AI “actress” Tilly Norwood, and the rabble-rousers at Higgsfield. Both upstarts have produced or are producing AI-generated films to showcase their technology.
Other creative-minded AI companies include Runway, which is bullish on the democratization of filmmaking, and the Martin Scorsese-backed Black Forest Labs. What’s behind Hollywood’s new AI arms race? And at the same time, “a lot of the studios are also seeing that land rush,” he adds — meaning, in other words, that they see the need to get on board or get left behind.
Netflix last year said it was “all in” on incorporating AI throughout its business, but it was unclear exactly what that meant. Then it spent nearly $600 million on Ben Affleck’s secret AI company. The purchase of the tools-focused InterPositive in March signaled both the company’s investment in the space — with Affleck’s filmmaking background and film-focused team as the core drivers behind the purchase — and its belief in partnering with creatives as it experiments with the technology.
Since then, Netflix has revealed that roughly 300 programs across its library have incorporated generative AI in some fashion, it’s experimenting with AI-animated projects (though none are actively in the works) and it has worked with the AI audio firm ElevenLabs to weave in an AI replica of Gene Wilder’s voice for its upcoming reality show “Wonka’s The Golden Ticket.” For some, the endorsement from the world’s biggest streamer helped validate AI’s presence in entertainment. The studio last year appointed Albert Cheng, previously head of Prime Video in the U.S., as its inaugural head of “AI Studios” and charged him with integrating — though not mandating — the technology’s use throughout its production pipeline. Since then, Amazon MGM has hosted its “AI on the Lot” conference to discuss AI’s place in Hollywood, where it announced a slate of AI-animated shows (though one, from “The Book of Life” director Jorge R.
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