Google has invested $75 million in A24 to build AI filmmaking tools, and A24 defended the partnership after a wave of criticism from fans and creators. Deadline reports that A24 framed the deal as research focused on giving filmmakers tools, not replacing them, and said the studio wants to shape the technology from inside the room, not watch it evolve outside their control.

The funding is tied to A24’s relationship with Thrive Capital and access to Google DeepMind researchers and infrastructure, according to earlier reporting. The Wall Street Journal also said the arrangement will not allow Google to train its models on A24’s film library, a point meant to ease copyright concerns.

A24 called the agreement a research partnership and said DeepMind engineers will work side by side with A24 Labs to design workflows and tools that filmmakers can use, not mandates studios must follow, a company spokesperson told Deadline.

Scott Belsky, who runs A24 Labs, told reporters the studio expects to use the new tools for storyboards and previsualization, work that can lower costs and speed development on smaller films. Deadline also quoted A24 saying the studio wants creators at the table as AI advances, using the phrase, “we’d rather have a seat at the table than on the sidelines,” to explain the strategy.

DeepMind’s vice president of product, Eli Collins, described the move as putting technology directly in the hands of creators so breakthroughs can follow, a claim he made to The Wall Street Journal. Deadline added that A24 stressed the work will stay focused on R and D, rather than immediate deployment of AI generated content.

Industry context matters. Variety and other trade outlets noted studios are split between partnerships and litigation as they respond to generative AI; Disney has explored licensing while suing some AI firms, Lionsgate is expanding its Runway AI partnership, and Netflix acquired Ben Affleck’s InterPositive earlier this year to build filmmaker tools.

Critics worry the partnership could still shift power toward big tech, erode creative jobs, or normalize AI that leans on copyrighted work, even with guardrails about training data, Deadline reported. A24 answered by saying filmmakers will not be forced to use the tools and the studio will help set the rules for any production workflows that emerge.

With major capital now flowing into studio tech deals, the balance between innovation and protection is becoming a strategic battleground for Hollywood. A24 says it will help shape the tools, and DeepMind says it will help build them, but the debate over control, jobs, and copyright will not end with this announcement.

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