When David Ellison takes over the newly formed Paramount Skydance, he has a clear message that Hollywood is working on an AI invasion. Don't be afraid of that.
“We're not afraid of technology, we're going to accept that,” Ellison said at a press event Thursday, where he asked about the plans for the newly formed company. “I don't think AI is an alternative to creativity.”
Hollywood has a divided personality when it comes to AI. Some, like Lionsgate and AMC, have publicly recognized recent deals with the runways of well-known AI companies, and Netflix shares how it uses AI in its content creation process. Others like Disney have been sensitive to the need to protect their famous IP, to their relationship with talents who worry about technology being used to steal portraits and other risks, and have been hindering their work in the space. Disney and NBCuniversal are suing AI company Midjourney, alleging copyright infringement.
Ellison, whose father, Oracle's Larry Ellison, helped out with the merger bankroll, made technology a big part of the pitch to combine his Skydance with the bigger Paramount. He laid out several ways he plans to do that, starting with integration on the streaming side. The company has three streamers supported by three tech stacks, and plans to collapse these into one stack “really quickly.” He also plans to use AI to improve the ability of people to find their favorite shows in streamers and influence how they create content.
Ellison emphasized that his embrace of technology should not be bothered by creatives. He compared the use of AI to popularize 3D computer animation with 1990s hand-drawn animation to Pixar.
“We were making a fuss about the notion that technology was trying to disrupt animators,” he said. “And Pixar always says, 'We just give animators their own pencils and create something that we can't make before.” And I think we're going to see that level of shift. ”
As long as you apply AI, he said it might help you make big budget movies.
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He cited examples of blockbusters like the original “The Terminator.”
It “basically means that young artists and filmmakers can't actually get out there and tell a bold, original story,” he said.
Ellison also imagined using advanced AI models to allow people to engage with characters directly. “I think it's much closer than people are realizing.”
But people give one example of how AI can make individual projects cheaper, but no one really knows how much they can move the needle for Hollywood. Paramount, like many other industries, is a low linear television business, debt, and subscale, and is not yet a globally profitable streaming business. Meanwhile, a recent study commissioned by the Concept Art Association and the Animation Guild predicts that AI will affect over 200,000 Hollywood jobs over the next three years.
Along with Tech, Ellison said he plans to grow the streaming business by making more films and shows. The company is accepting joint ventures with other streamers.
Paramount Skydance executives said Linear TV is still the focus. They singled Nickelodeon as one channel, an important way to keep families and children, and a major priority for investment.
