Google Invests $75 Million in A24 to Develop AI-Powered Filmmaking Tools in There ‘deepmind unit’
Google DeepMind
A24 is partnering with Google DeepMind to build filmmaker-focused AI tools, marking one of the most significant collaborations yet between a Hollywood studio and a major artificial intelligence company.
A24 is entering the artificial intelligence conversation in a major way.
The independent studio has struck a new research partnership with Google DeepMind, with Google investing roughly $75 million in A24 as part of a deal designed to develop AI-powered tools for filmmakers. The partnership will give A24 access to DeepMind’s research and infrastructure, while Google’s AI researchers will work with the studio to build new creative workflows. The deal reportedly does not give Google access to A24’s content library or internal data, an important distinction at a time when Hollywood’s relationship with artificial intelligence remains tense and heavily scrutinized.
The investment marks Google’s first equity stake in a film studio and is roughly in line with Thrive Capital’s investment during A24’s 2024 funding round, which valued the studio at $3.5 billion. For A24, the move signals a deeper push into technology through A24 Labs, the studio’s innovation division led by Scott Belsky. That group is reportedly working on tools such as AI-generated storyboards, though the studio is attempting to frame the partnership as a way to support filmmakers rather than replace them.
That framing matters. AI remains one of the most divisive issues in entertainment, particularly after years of labor disputes, copyright lawsuits and broader anxiety over whether studios will use generative tools to cut costs, reduce jobs or exploit creative work without consent. A24’s position is that the Google partnership is not about replacing artists with prompt-based content generation. Belsky told The Wall Street Journal that many AI developers have made a mistake by selling the technology as a way to make films cheaper and faster, arguing instead that better uses can preserve creative control and support risk-taking.
That is a careful message from a studio whose brand has been built on filmmaker trust. A24’s reputation comes from giving emerging and established directors room to take creative risks, whether through Oscar-winning films like ‘Moonlight’ and ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once,’ breakout cultural hits like ‘Lady Bird’ and ‘Midsommar,’ or more recent commercial successes like ‘Marty Supreme’ and ‘Backrooms.’ A company so closely associated with auteur credibility has more to lose than most if its audience or filmmakers believe it is embracing AI as a shortcut rather than a tool.
The involvement of DeepMind makes the deal especially significant. Google’s AI unit has been one of the central players in the global race to develop advanced models, and the partnership positions A24 as a creative testing ground for tools that could eventually reshape parts of preproduction, visualization, editing, workflow management and distribution strategy. The companies have described the arrangement as a multi-year, non-exclusive partnership focused on multiple initiatives rather than one specific product.
The deal also arrives as Hollywood’s AI strategy remains fragmented. Some studios have pursued partnerships with AI companies, while others have filed lawsuits over copyright and training data. Lionsgate expanded its relationship with Runway to explore AI-assisted production and new intellectual property, while Netflix acquired Ben Affleck’s AI startup InterPositive earlier this year to develop filmmaker tools. Disney has experimented with AI partnerships while also suing companies such as Midjourney and MiniMax over alleged copyright infringement. The industry is clearly interested in the technology, but no studio has yet found a universally accepted way to integrate it without backlash.
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A24’s challenge will be proving that its version of AI is different. Storyboarding tools, workflow support and creative visualization may be easier for filmmakers and audiences to accept than systems designed to generate finished performances, scripts or scenes from prompts. If the technology helps directors test ideas earlier, plan more ambitious sequences or communicate visual concepts more efficiently, it could become part of the filmmaking process without replacing the human authorship that A24’s brand depends on.
Still, perception will be difficult to manage. A24 has a young, culturally fluent fanbase, and younger audiences are often among the most skeptical of AI’s impact on society and creative labor. That tension is especially relevant after the success of ‘Backrooms,’ whose opening-weekend audience reportedly skewed overwhelmingly under 35. A24 is betting that it can remain connected to younger moviegoers while also becoming a testing ground for studio technology. That balance will not be simple.
The partnership also reflects a larger shift in how studios think about competition. A24 is no longer only a boutique distributor or an awards-season indie label. It has become a global entertainment brand with theatrical hits, television projects, merchandising, international expansion and now a formal technology arm. Google’s investment gives the studio more resources, while giving DeepMind a direct bridge into one of the most influential creative companies in film.
For Google, the upside is cultural legitimacy. AI companies have often struggled to win over artists, partly because their products are frequently framed as threats to creative labor. Working with A24 allows Google to position DeepMind not only as a technology engine, but as a partner to respected filmmakers. If the tools developed through this partnership are embraced by directors, editors, production designers or visual teams, Google could gain a stronger foothold in Hollywood without the stigma attached to pure automation.
For A24, the risk is reputational. The studio has earned enormous goodwill by appearing artist-first in an industry often driven by franchise logic and corporate efficiency. An AI partnership with one of the largest tech companies in the world could complicate that identity if the tools are not transparent, ethical and genuinely useful to filmmakers. But if A24 can define the partnership on its own terms, it may become one of the first studios to make AI feel less like a threat and more like a production instrument.
That is the real test. The question is not whether AI will enter filmmaking. It already has. The question is who gets to shape how it is used, who benefits from it and whether creative control remains with the people making the work.
With Google’s $75 million investment, A24 is betting that it can help answer those questions before the rest of Hollywood does.
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