Google DeepMind and film studio A24 announced a research collaboration to develop artificial intelligence (AI) tools that will later be used in future film production. Through this collaboration, DeepMind is investing $75 million in A24 to ensure that future AI technology is shaped by filmmakers themselves, and not by engineers or data scientists as is the case today.
The long-term collaboration includes a variety of research and development projects that will grow over time. DeepMind will integrate the latest AI technology directly into the content production process at A24. A24 filmmakers will also be given early access to test, iterate and provide direct feedback on the technology that has been developed.
A24 is a small indie studio that has received praise for producing films on a low budget that have received high box office collections and won numerous prestigious awards. Among the films produced by A24 are Backrooms, Midsommar, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Civil War and The Brutalist.
The use of generative AI in the production of films, TV series and works of art is still a sensitive issue, especially among artists. This is all because early AI models used data and artwork without permission from copyright holders for training.
But Microsoft and Adobe have begun to take steps to develop AI models that only use paid data without violating copyright owners. Adobe Firefly Foundry, for example, allows IP owners to train AI models using only their data. This is also the approach of the AI company InterPositive, founded by Ben Affleck and acquired by Netflix earlier this year.
