The production company A24 has entered into a partnership with Google DeepMind Will they make movies with AI now?

Everyone online is talking right now about the announced collaboration between Google DeepMind and production house A24. Google DeepMind, for context, is Google's most important laboratory for artificial intelligence development. The few enthusiastic headlines speak of a marriage between Silicon Valley and Hollywood, of a creative revolution, and of artificial intelligence entering the world of film. A vast portion of the public — if not the entire public — has instead reacted to the news with anxiety: in what sense is the independent production house that has become synonymous with projects far removed from commercial logic — and for that reason hugely successful, as well as deeply "authentic" — now allying itself with the world of AI? The reality, however, is more concrete and less revolutionary than many would have us believe.

What happened?

Google DeepMind and A24 have launched a multi-year research and development partnership. Google has invested approximately 75 million dollars in the studio — a fairly standard figure compared to other recent funding rounds that have allowed A24 to maintain its independence. This is neither an acquisition (A24 is valued at over three billion dollars), nor an agreement to produce films using AI, nor a contract to transfer rights to the studio's works or to train models on its content. In fact, the agreement explicitly excludes access to A24's library or its data.

The crux of the matter, as The Hollywood Reporter explains, is a joint effort between DeepMind researchers and the A24 Labs team, led by Scott Belsky. The stated goal is to develop new workflows and tools to assist filmmakers in the behind-the-scenes process, without actively intervening in the finished product — thereby always preserving the full creative control of human authors. The studio's directors and artists will play an active role in testing, critiquing, and guiding the development of these tools. It is, in every sense, a genuine trial run to explore how these computer systems can help streamline the filmmaking process. In practice, A24 is not buying ready-made black boxes: it is participating in the construction of bespoke tools.

Is "human" cinema lost forever?

Many have read the announcement as the beginning of the end for human creativity in cinema. It is not. As The Hollywood Reporter also makes clear, the partnership was born precisely because figures like Demis Hassabis and the DeepMind team recognise that the best tools are built by working closely with those who will actually use them. The aim is neither to make films faster or cheaper, nor to create an idea-generation model. The areas in which AI is currently being applied are mostly storyboard generators — a use that even Martin Scorsese is experimenting with, as it allows ideas to be iterated quickly without replacing the final human work.

This does not mean AI will not enter production processes. It is more a question of "when" than "if." But, at least for A24, this should unfold in a controlled environment, with constant feedback from respected authors — including young Kane Parsons of Backrooms, who has repeatedly spoken out against AI.

The real issue is precisely the fact that A24 has always championed original voices and creative risks (think Everything Everywhere All at Once, Ex Machina, The Witch, Civil War), and so there is a genuine danger that the commercial greed and utter contempt for art that dominates Silicon Valley could end up infecting one of Hollywood's last remaining gems. This is why there is still a great deal of mistrust surrounding this deal. The partnership, one hopes, will lead A24 to continue its spirit of experimentation — but only on the technical side. Whether the agreement makes sense or not will be determined by concrete results in the coming years, not by press releases. For now, fans are understandably afraid.