Google invests in A24 to develop AI for cinema

The independent studio has just entered into a strategic partnership with Google, which is investing $75 million to develop new artificial intelligence tools for filmmakers.

It’s the small studio that’s on the rise in Hollywood. In the wake of the historic box office of BackroomsA24 announces a large-scale partnership with Google DeepMind in order to develop new artificial intelligence technologies for cinematic creation.

According to the Wall Street Journalthe tech giant is investing around $75 million in the independent studio, an amount comparable to that injected by the Thrive Capital fund during A24’s last financing round.

Concretely, A24 will have access to DeepMind’s research and infrastructure, while Google researchers will work directly with the studio to imagine new tools and new production methods. The agreement specifies, however, that Google will have neither access to A24’s film library nor its data.

The partnership comes as Hollywood has an increasingly complex relationship with artificial intelligence. Some studios are increasing collaborations with companies specializing in AI while others are suing them for copyright infringement.

At the head of A24 Labs, the studio’s technology division, Scott Belsky ensures that this initiative stands out from other projects in the sector.

“We believe there are better uses of AI that preserve creative control and encourage risk-taking.”

The manager also specifies that the tools currently developed, in particular storyboard applications generated by AI, “will be nothing like the prompt-based form of artificial intelligence that makes so many people uncomfortable.”

On Google’s side, the speech is just as reassuring. Eli Collins, vice president of product at DeepMind, explains: “We believe that real breakthroughs happen when you put technology in the hands of the best creators in their field.”

It remains to be seen what these new tools will look like in practice. One thing is certain: after having shaken up genre cinema with Everything Everywhere All at Once, Civil War or more recently BackroomsA24 now also intends to participate in the technological revolution which could transform the way the films of tomorrow are made.