Google DeepMind signs AI research deal with studio A24

TL;DR:

  • UK-headquartered Google DeepMind has partnered with film studio A24 to explore AI tools for filmmakers.
  • Alphabet reportedly invested $75m (£59m) in the studio; filmmakers will keep full creative control.
  • The deal is explicitly not an intellectual-property or data-training arrangement.

Google DeepMind has entered a partnership with independent film studio A24 to explore how AI can support filmmakers and other creative professionals. The companies say the initiative will focus on developing new creative workflows while ensuring future tools are shaped by the people who use them — a framing pitched squarely at an industry wary of generative AI.

Creators keep control

A24, the studio behind “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, “Marty Supreme” and the horror film “Backrooms”, will collaborate with DeepMind on multiple research and development projects over time. A source familiar with the arrangement told Reuters that filmmakers will retain full creative control, and stressed it is not an intellectual-property or data-training deal — a distinction that matters given the creative sector’s running disputes over AI and copyright. Alphabet’s Google has also made a $75m (£59m) investment in the studio, the Wall Street Journal reported, though DeepMind declined to comment on the figure. The partnership gives A24 access to DeepMind’s research, infrastructure and global reach.

For UK readers, the notable thread is DeepMind itself. London-headquartered and Alphabet-owned, it remains Britain’s flagship AI lab, and its move into creative tooling signals where one of the country’s most prominent research operations sees commercial demand. That sits alongside other UK creative-sector flashpoints over authenticity, including Granta dropping prize winners over an AI row.

Looking forward

The “creators keep control” language is doing heavy lifting, and whether it holds will determine the deal’s reception. Filmmakers have watched AI image and video tools advance while studios negotiate licensing and consent. By framing the work as creator-led research rather than an IP grab, DeepMind and A24 are trying to avoid the backlash that has met blunter approaches. The test will be the tools themselves — and whether they expand what artists can do, or simply lower the cost of replacing them. For Britain’s sizeable creative economy, how this template plays out will be watched closely.

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