Google invests $75M in A24 to fund AI film lab

Google will invest about $75 million in independent studio A24 to form an AI research partnership with DeepMind and A24 Labs. The collaboration will develop technology to assist film production and distribution, focusing on tools that support filmmakers rather than systems that generate finished films. The investment is reported to be Google’s first equity stake in a movie studio and does not include access to A24’s film and television library.

Work will include AI-assisted storyboarding and systems designed to identify production issues before filming begins, along with exploration of distribution-related tools. A24 Labs has piloted a storyboarding tool that flags potential problems ahead of shoots.

A24 partner Scott Belsky described the focus as tools that preserve creative control and support risk-taking, adding that the work “won’t look anything like the prompted generation type of AI that people feel uncomfortable with.”

Eli Collins, vice president of product at DeepMind, said the company expects advances when technology is placed with creative professionals. “We believe breakthroughs happen when you get technology into the hands of the best minds in the field,” Collins said.

Google has expanded outreach to filmmakers in recent months. In January 2026 the company committed $2 million to AI training programs for artists through film organizations. In April Google introduced Maps Imagery Grounding, a tool that can generate images and animated scenes from Street View data.

The announcement comes amid industry debate over generative AI. After strikes by SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America in 2023, creators and performers raised concerns about AI’s impact on jobs and on artistic control. In December 2025 a group of industry figures formed the Creators Coalition on AI to advocate standards for AI training and use.

Not all filmmakers support broad AI use. Kane Parsons, director of Backrooms, warned of “genuinely harmful consequences” and said he would remove generative AI if he could.

A24 and DeepMind intend to expand A24 Labs’ existing tools and test distribution technologies while keeping creative decisions with filmmakers.