A24 has defended its new research partnership with Google’s DeepMind after the deal drew criticism from fans. The studio said that the collaboration is intended to ensure artists have a voice in shaping artificial intelligence tools for filmmaking.
The independent studio added the partnership is focused on research rather than the deployment of AI-generated content.
“This is a research partnership,” A24 communications rep Sophia Shin said about the deal in a statement first reported by Wired. “We’re working side-by-side with DeepMind’s researchers to learn, iterate, and build, having an active hand in shaping new tools and workflows”
“Our relationship with our audience is something we don’t take for granted,” the statement continued. “This partnership exists because we want to dictate what tools get built for artists, and so they have a voice in shaping them rather than having tools handed to them. We’d rather have a seat at the table than on the sidelines”.
The partnership, announced by A24 and Google on Monday, will provide A24 and its technology division, A24 Labs, access to DeepMind's research and infrastructure.
DeepMind researchers will work alongside the studio to develop new workflows and explore AI tools that filmmakers may find useful.
A24 said the agreement does not give Google access to the studio's content library or data, and filmmakers will not be required to use any AI tools developed through the collaboration.
The announcement sparked backlash from some A24 fans, who criticized the studio on social media platforms.
DeepMind CEO and co-founder Demis Hassabis said the company believes collaboration with filmmakers is essential to building useful creative tools.
“We believe the best way to develop tools that empower artists is to work directly with them,” Hassabis wrote in a blog post this week.
“By collaborating with filmmakers and industry leaders like A24 from the beginning, we can build new AI features to support artists in authentic, meaningful storytelling that helps enable their creative vision,” he wrote.
The partnership comes despite criticism of generative AI from some filmmakers who have worked with A24.
Other recent AI initiatives in the industry include Disney's short-lived licensing deal with OpenAI, Lionsgate's expanded partnership with Runway to develop new franchises and AI-generated productions based on its existing intellectual property, and Netflix's acquisition earlier this year of Ben Affleck's AI startup InterPositive, which develops filmmaking tools.