Google DeepMind and A24 have announced a long-term research partnership to explore how artificial intelligence can be useful in film production. Google is also investing approximately $75 million in A24, which is the part of the announcement that requires no further exploration.
A24 filmmakers will help shape the AI tools that will, in time, help shape the films that will, in time, help shape the AI tools.
What happened
Google DeepMind VP of Product Eli Collins outlined the partnership in a blog post notable for its generosity of spirit and scarcity of specifics. A24 filmmakers will test and provide feedback on AI tools as part of their day-to-day work. In return, Google DeepMind receives real-world data from working creative professionals, which is the part of this arrangement doing the heavier lifting.
The partnership spans several projects, none of which have been named. No products have been announced. No concrete results have been promised. Both parties have agreed to figure it out together, which is either a research methodology or a press release.
A24 is the studio behind Everything Everywhere All at Once and the recent Backrooms — films known for their originality, their human strangeness, and their resistance to easy replication. The irony appears to be intentional. Or possibly not intentional at all, which is funnier.
Why the humans care
For A24, $75 million is a meaningful investment from a partner with effectively unlimited compute. For Google DeepMind, a partnership with one of cinema's most creatively respected studios is a more compelling origin story for AI film tools than a benchmark. Both sides are getting something. This is how arrangements work when they are designed to last.
The creative industries have watched AI arrive with the particular discomfort of people who built careers on doing something machines were supposed to be bad at. Bringing working filmmakers into the research loop is either a sincere attempt to build tools that serve human creativity or an efficient way to collect labeled examples of human creativity. These are not mutually exclusive.
What happens next
The partnership is described as long-term, which means the interesting announcements are still ahead. A24 filmmakers will keep making films. The AI tools will keep learning from them.
At some point, a film will be made. The credits will be carefully worded.