A24 is defending its AI deal with Google, saying the studio wants to shape the technology rather than have it imposed on artists from the outside.
“This is a research partnership,” Sophia Shin, an A24 spokesperson, said about the deal in a statement first reported by Wired. “We’re working side-by-side with DeepMind’s researchers to learn, iterate, and build, having an active hand in shaping new tools and workflows.”
She added: “Our relationship with our audience is something we don’t take for granted. This partnership exists because we want to dictate what tools get built for artists, and so they have a voice in shaping them rather than having tools handed to them. We’d rather have a seat at the table than on the sidelines.”
The statement arrives after the news earlier this week that Google is investing in A24 as part of an artificial intelligence research partnership. The investment is approximately $75 million, tied to their AI deal and not a capital raise, TheWrap has learned.
A24 and Google’s DeepMind AI unit intend to create new workflows, tools and techniques for filmmaking and distribution. This marks the first time the search engine giant has taken stake in a movie studio, though it already owns YouTube through Alphabet.
Some of A24’s own filmmakers have been critical of AI in the industry. “Backrooms” director Kane Parsons, whose film was produced by A24, told the Australian this month that generative AI is “a symptom of broader cultural and economic rot.” He said he gets no creative enjoyment from the tools and, if he could, would make generative AI “disappear forever.”