A24 defended its artificial-intelligence research partnership with Google’s DeepMind unit this week, saying the deal was meant to give the independent studio influence over AI tools built for filmmakers rather than leave that work to others. The statement, first reported by Wired, came after fans flooded A24’s social media accounts with criticism.
“This is a research partnership,” A24 communications representative Sophia Shin said. “We’d rather have a seat at the table than on the sidelines.” Google and A24 announced the tie-up Monday, with DeepMind researchers set to work alongside the studio’s filmmakers to test new production tools. The Wall Street Journal reported the deal includes roughly $75 million from Google, marking the company’s first equity stake in a Hollywood studio. A24 and DeepMind have not confirmed that figure directly; every outlet reporting it traces back to the Journal’s account.
A24 partner Scott Belsky, who runs the studio’s technology division, A24 Labs, told the Journal the work centers on AI-generated storyboards rather than text-to-video generation. The new tools, he said, “won’t look anything like the prompted generation type of AI that people feel uncomfortable with.” DeepMind chief executive Demis Hassabis wrote in a blog post that the company wants to build features that support “authentic, meaningful storytelling.”
The reaction online was swift and largely hostile. Commenters on A24’s Instagram and X accounts accused the studio of betraying its audience, with one Instagram user asking whether the studio still understood its own fan base. The deal does not give Google access to A24’s film library or production data, and filmmakers are not required to use any resulting tools, according to the companies.
Some A24 directors have been openly skeptical of generative AI. Kane Parsons, who directed the studio’s highest-grossing release, “Backrooms,” told the Australian this month that generative AI is “a symptom of broader cultural and economic rot” and that he gets no creative enjoyment from using it. “Heretic” directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods included a credits disclaimer on their A24 film stating no generative AI was used in its making, which Beck has said the studio agreed to keep in place.
The partnership follows a string of AI deals across Hollywood. Disney’s brief licensing arrangement with OpenAI came as the company pursued copyright lawsuits against AI firms including MiniMax and Midjourney. Lionsgate this month expanded its existing partnership with Runway to develop AI-generated shows and franchises. Netflix earlier this year acquired Ben Affleck’s filmmaking startup InterPositive.
The timing also intersects with new labor rules. SAG-AFTRA’s 2026 TV/Theatrical Agreement, ratified June 4 with 91.42 percent support and taking effect July 1, restricts the use of AI-generated performers but does not directly address research partnerships embedding AI labs inside a studio’s development process, leaving open how the contract applies as such collaborations expand industry-wide.
