The topic Google is diving into the film world with millions of dollars, and yes, AI is… is currently the subject of lively discussion — readers and analysts are keeping a close eye on developments.
This is taking place in a dynamic environment: companies’ decisions and competitors’ reactions can quickly change the picture.
Google is investing roughly $75 million in A24, the studio behind the latest hits like Backrooms and Obsession, according to the data the Wall Street Journal.
The investment comes attached to a new AI research partnership between A24 and Google DeepMind, Google’s artificial intelligence research lab.
according to the data Google DeepMind, the goal is to pair a leading AI research lab with the most filmmaker friendly studio in the business, and let the artists shape the technologies instead of the other way around.
A24 filmmakers get hands-on access to DeepMind’s research and infrastructure, while DeepMind gets real feedback from working directors as they build new tools together.
DeepMind cofounder and CEO Demis Hassabis says the best way to build tools that actually empower artists is to work with them directly from day one.
importantly, the deal does not give Google access to A24’s existing film and television library or its data, so your favorite A24 titles stay exactly where they are.
A24 has spent the last decade building a brand people genuinely love, with survey data showing more than half of moviegoers count themselves fans of the studio itself, not just individual movies. Right now, A24 is also gearing up for its biggest swing yet, a roughly $175 million Elden Ring adaptation directed by Alex Garland.
This deal also lands amid a broader wave of studios warming up to AI. Martin Scorsese recently joined AI startup Black Forest Labs as an adviser, using its tools to storyboard on an upcoming project.
Meanwhile, Netflix quietly built its own AI animation studio, INKubator, to crank out AI-generated shorts and specials. And OpenAI went even further, backing an AI-assisted animated feature called Critterz that’s heading straight for the Cannes, made on a $30 million budget using OpenAI’s own tools from start to finish.
Whatever comes out of the A24 deal, one thing is clear that even the coolest indie studios are now AI’s newest playground.