Amazon to use AI in TV and film production

Amazon intends to employ artificial intelligence to accelerate the development of films and television series, even as concerns persist in Hollywood that AI may reduce employment and fundamentally alter the industry, Reuters reported.

At Amazon MGM Studio, Albert Cheng, a veteran entertainment executive, is leading a team tasked with developing new AI tools designed to reduce costs and streamline the creative process. Amazon plans to initiate a closed beta program in March, inviting industry partners to test these tools, with results expected by May.

Cheng described AI Studio as operating under a “startup” model and Jeff Bezos’s “two pizza team” philosophy, maintaining a small team size. The group is primarily composed of product engineers and scientists, with a smaller contingent from creative and business backgrounds.

This public embrace of AI is a response to escalating production budgets that constrain the number of projects companies can finance. The technology is intended to expedite certain processes to produce content more efficiently. “The cost of creating is so high that it really is hard to make more and it really is hard to take great risk,” Cheng stated. “We fundamentally believe that AI can accelerate, but it won’t replace, the innovation and the unique aspects that (humans) bring to create the work.”

This adoption of artificial intelligence coincides with expressed concerns from actors, including Emily Blunt, regarding AI’s potential to make certain roles obsolete. Amazon has emphasized that writers, directors, actors, and character designers will be involved at all production stages, utilizing AI as a tool to augment creativity.

Similar to other technology firms, Amazon is encouraging nearly all its divisions to identify AI applications. The company has cited the technology’s successes as a factor in its reduction of approximately 30,000 corporate positions since October, its largest layoff to date, which included roles at Prime Video. Cheng noted that AI could assist Prime Video in addressing inherent challenges of large-scale production.

AI Studio is developing tools to address what Cheng termed “the last mile”—bridging the gap between existing consumer AI offerings and the detailed control required for cinematic content. This involves improving character consistency across shots and integrating with industry-standard creative software.

The initiative is leveraging support from Amazon Web Services and plans to collaborate with multiple large language model providers to offer creators a broader range of options for pre- and post-production. Cheng identified the protection of intellectual property and ensuring AI-generated content is not absorbed into other AI models as critical to the studio’s operation.

AI Studio is collaborating with producers Robert Stromberg and his company Secret City, Kunal Nayyar and his company Good Karma Productions, and former Pixar and ILM animator Colin Brady to explore new tools and their implementation.

Launched in August, the studio cites its series “House of David” as a potential model for future AI application. For the second season of this biblical epic, director Jon Erwin utilized AI combined with live-action footage to create battle sequences, seamlessly integrating the two to expand the scope of scenes at a reduced cost.