Key Points
- Google is investing roughly $75 million in A24 as part of a new partnership focused on AI research.
- The collaboration aims to create tools for film production and distribution, not for generating films using AI.
- This agreement comes amid ongoing discussions in Hollywood regarding the impact of generative AI on the film industry.
Google has announced an investment of around $75 million in the independent film studio A24 as part of a fresh partnership dedicated to artificial intelligence research, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
The collaboration will see Google's DeepMind team working alongside A24 to develop innovative tools for film production and distribution, marking Google's first equity stake in a film studio.
While this partnership does not grant Google access to A24's film and television library, it unites one of the leading developers in AI with a studio recognized for acclaimed films such as “Ex Machina,” directed by Alex Garland in 2014, which explores the perils of artificial intelligence, and the recent success “Backrooms.”
Scott Belsky, a partner at A24, sought to alleviate worries that the partnership would result in the generative AI tools criticized by many filmmakers. He emphasized that the focus is on creating tools that maintain creative autonomy for filmmakers. "We think there are better uses that preserve creative control and support risk-taking," Belsky remarked, adding, "won't look anything like the prompted generation type of AI that people feel uncomfortable with."
This development follows Google's recent efforts to engage with filmmakers, including a $2 million commitment to AI training initiatives for artists through the Sundance Institute and other filmmaking entities in January 2026. In April, Google introduced Maps Imagery Grounding, an AI tool that enables filmmakers and creative agencies to create images and animated scenes from real-world locations using Google Street View data.
As part of their collaboration, A24 and Google intend to develop tools specifically tailored for film production and distribution. A24 Labs, A24's technology and innovation division, is already working on an AI-assisted storyboarding tool designed to help filmmakers identify potential production challenges prior to filming.
Eli Collins, DeepMind's vice president of product, stated, "We believe breakthroughs happen when you get technology into the hands of the best minds in the field."
The announcement comes as Hollywood continues to grapple with the implications of AI in filmmaking, following extended strikes by SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America throughout 2023. In December 2025, notable industry figures, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Natasha Lyonne, established the Creators Coalition on AI to advocate for standards regulating AI training and usage.
Recently, Kane Parsons, the director of “Backrooms,” expressed his disapproval of generative AI, describing it as a source of "genuinely harmful consequences" and part of a wider "cultural and economic rot." He remarked, "If I could snap my fingers and make generative AI disappear forever, I probably would," as he told The Australian.