TL;DR Google is investing $75M in A24 and launching a DeepMind research partnership to build AI filmmaking tools shaped by working directors.
Google is investing roughly $75 million in A24, the independent studio behind recent hits including Backrooms and Obsession, as part of a new AI research partnership between the studio and Google DeepMind. The deal, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, marks Google’s first equity stake in a film studio.
The partnership gives A24 filmmakers hands-on access to DeepMind’s research infrastructure, while DeepMind gets real-time feedback from working directors as it builds new creative tools. DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis said the goal is to develop tools that empower artists by working with them from day one rather than building in isolation.
Crucially, the deal does not give Google access to A24’s existing film and television library or its content data. The partnership is structured as a multiyear, nonexclusive research agreement, meaning A24 is not locked into using only Google’s tools and Google cannot train models on the studio’s catalogue.
The 💜 of EU techThe latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!One early project already under way at A24 Labs involves using AI to generate storyboards, the rough visual sketches directors use to plan scenes before cameras roll. Scott Belsky, an A24 partner who leads the studio’s technology division, told the Journal that the partnership differs from other Hollywood AI deals because most AI developers mistakenly pitch their products as a way to make films cheaper and faster rather than better.
