Darren Aronofsky Faces AI Backlash, Big Tech turns to Super Bowl ads to humanize AI, Autodesk sues Google over AI-powered movie-making software
AI revolution in film and TV production and industry future report
AI is boosting productivity by 5–10% in development and pre‑production (visual pitches, script breakdowns, A/B story testing, and shot lists), with potential expansion into physical production (virtual sets, fewer reshoots) and post‑production (VFX, clipping, dubbing, faster workflows). Up to 20% of U.S. original content spend — about $10 billion by 2030 — could be addressable, with distributors capturing most of the value through margins as producers fragment. Historical parallels such as CGI and digital cameras show incumbents tend to benefit first, though AI could democratize pro‑grade tools for independents and user‑generated content, eroding big‑studio advantages and shifting $60 billion in revenue to new formats and channels amid finite audience attention. Risks include job losses, IP lawsuits (e.g., over training data), hallucinations, biases, and a broader erosion of human creativity — driving calls for IP‑safe models, consent frameworks, fair compensation, and human oversight.
Big Tech turns to Super Bowl ads to humanize AI
OpenAI is among a group of AI companies that descended on the Super Bowl with ads aimed at demystifying a technology that provokes as much fear as fascination. In a 60‑second spot airing during NBC’s broadcast of Super Bowl LX on Sunday, OpenAI shows people using their hands to read, sketch, design, and even direct robotic arms, before flashing the slogan “You Can Just Build Things” and directing viewers to Codex, an app that turns instructions into software. Anthropic, Google, Amazon, Meta, Genspark, and Base44 also promoted chatbots and related tools during the game, with Anthropic using its slot to take a swipe at rivals embracing ads in AI services. Its pre‑game message reads: “Ads are coming to AI. But not to Claude.”
SAG-AFTRA eyes studio tax on digital performers amid unstoppable rise of AI
SAG‑AFTRA is negotiating early with studios over AI threats to actors’ jobs, months ahead of its 30 June contract expiration. The union secured some protections during the 2023 strike, but cannot prevent digital performers like Tilly Norwood or upcoming user‑generated Disney videos featuring Leia and Elsa on Disney+. Talks opened unusually early amid optimism surrounding the AMPTP’s new negotiator, Greg Hessinger, a former SAG figure seen as more flexible than predecessor Carol Lombardini. Studios want a fair deal for actors and continued stability, while SAG‑AFTRA is pushing for higher streaming bonuses below $40 million annually, and for limits on hiatuses, exclusivity, and self‑tapes. AI remains the central issue following the union’s video‑game strike and its campaign for royalties on synthetic work in ads and music.
Autodesk sues Google over AI-powered movie-making software
Autodesk has sued Google in San Francisco federal court, alleging the tech giant launched a rival AI-powered film-making software called Flow that copies its own product name and targets the same customers. Autodesk, which introduced its Flow tool in September 2022 for visual effects and production management, claims Google’s May 2025 release has caused consumer confusion and irreparable harm. The San Francisco company, valued at $51bn, is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages; Google declined immediate comment.
Darren Aronofsky Faces Backlash Over New AI Series
Darren Aronofsky has faced backlash after his studio, Primordial Soup, partnered with Time and Google DeepMind to launch On This Day… 1776, an AI‑generated YouTube series re‑creating moments from the American Revolution. The first two episodes, each under five minutes long, dramatize the raising of the Grand Union Flag on Prospect Hill and the publication of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense pamphlet. The trailer has drawn about 18,000 dislikes compared with fewer than 800 likes, while Guardian critic Stuart Heritage called the series “a horror.”
Amazon plans AI push to accelerate TV and film production
Amazon plans to use artificial intelligence to speed up film and TV production, even as Hollywood warns of job cuts. At Amazon MGM Studios, executive Albert Cheng leads a team developing AI tools to reduce costs and simplify workflows, with a beta test for partners starting in March and findings due by May. Actors, including Emily Blunt, have voiced concerns over figures like AI actress Tilly Norwood, but Amazon says writers, directors, and performers will guide every step, with AI serving only as support. Using Amazon Web Services and various language models, the studio is collaborating with producers Robert Stromberg, Kunal Nayyar, and Colin Brady. The series House of David used AI alongside live action for battle scenes in season two to cut costs and boost scale. Cheng emphasized protecting intellectual property to ensure AI‑generated material does not train rival systems.
MSC labels films “No AI Used” at EFM and calls for global standard
London sales company Mise En Scène has debuted a “No AI Used” certification for its EFM films. The London‑based companylaunched the label across its European Film Market slate in Berlin, verifying that its titles contain no artificial intelligence. The initiative appeared prominently on billboards at Potsdamer Platz, promoting key projects Forelock, starring David Krumholtz, and Billy Knight, starring Al Pacino and Charlie Heaton. Mise En Scène aims to offer transparency to buyers and audiences amid rising industry concerns over AI‑generated content.
89% of Japanese artists see generative AI as ‘serious threat’ to livelihoods, major survey finds
Nearly 90% of Japanese creatives view generative AI as a serious threat to their livelihoods, a Freelance League of Japan survey of 25,000 reveals. Visual artists, including illustrators and manga creators, made up 71% of respondents, with 88.6% agreeing it endangers their work and 93% fearing job losses; 12% already report income drops, while 10% seek non-creative jobs. Strong support (93%) emerged for mandatory disclosure of AI training data, 62% want prior consent for use of their work, and most reject revenue-sharing proposals, prompting FLJ calls for government transparency rules, labelling guidelines, and labour protections.
AI loops cause cultural stagnation with no new data
Generative AI loops churn out bland “visual elevator music,” a new study warns. Researchers linked text‑to‑image and image‑to‑text systems, including Stable Diffusion XL and LLaVA, allowing them to iterate autonomously over 700 trajectories from diverse prompts. The outputs rapidly converged on just 12 generic motifs, with stormy lighthouses, gothic cathedrals, and palatial interiors, regardless of starting points or randomness, earning the label “visual elevator music” for their safe, bland familiarity. Such self‑referential loops risk amplifying dataset biases and fostering cultural homogeneity in art, design, and beyond, warn Arend Hintze, Frida Proschinger Åström, and Jory Schossau in Pattern’s journal. Without human intervention, AI creativity drifts toward high‑probability attractors, eroding diversity and originality in prompts.
AI set to transform cinema operations from scheduling to box office forecasting
The cinema AI market is projected to rise from $1.45 billion in 2025 to $2.84 billion by 2029. The cinema‑operations AI sector is projected to grow at an 18.4% CAGR to $2.84 billion by 2029, driven by scheduling automation, box‑office forecasting, audience analytics, and chatbots for engagement. Generative‑AI content tools, dynamic pricing, and logistics integration are fueling expansion, supported by infrastructure upgrades such as the UK’s £502 million investment, including £99 million for new screens. CIELO’s CineAI and Cinelytic’s Jumpcut acquisition exemplify innovation in the field, though U.S. tariffs threaten to raise equipment costs. North America remains the largest market, while Asia‑Pacific is expanding fastest.
Companies surveyed for the cinema AI market analysis include Sony Group Corporation, Deluxe Media Inc., Barco NV, PAR Technology Corp., Comscore Inc., Synamedia Ltd., Largo Films SA, Vista Group International, Qube Cinema Technologies, Movio Limited, Unique X, GDC Technology, Cinelytic, Filmustage, ALTA CIELO, Showtime Analytics, One AI, ReelMind Studios, Sundevs, CINEsync, and TIXAE.
AI to make linear TV and streaming feel like a mood-shifting platform
Artificial intelligence is being positioned to bridge linear TV and streaming into a seamless, spontaneous platform that dynamically adjusts to viewers’ moods and shifts, echoing the fluidity of social media and potentially rendering the remote control obsolete. The aim is to reinvent traditional broadcasting for the streaming era, with AI‑assisted short‑form video at its heart, as seen in Walt Disney’s recent partnership with OpenAI’s Sora text‑to‑video platform, which enables users to generate clips featuring Disney characters and content. Further innovations include AI‑altered series episodes, distinct from mere promotional edits, and designed to help audiences catch up on missed storylines, alongside real‑time detection of viewer disinterest or boredom that could trigger personalized, shoppable moments tailored to individual interests and behaviours. Legacy broadcasters are also turning to AI to authenticate content against deepfakes through digital watermarks, while fine‑tuning ad placements to align with a scene’s emotional tone or other viewer signals, to combat churn and keep audiences engaged.
