Indie Darling A24 Takes $75 million From Google for 'AI Research'

A24 has apparently decided that just distributing the film Ex Machina isn’t enough—it needs to make it real. The film production and distribution darling has entered an agreement with Google that will see the tech giant pour $75 million into the studio as part of what is being positioned as an artificial intelligence research partnership. What does that mean? It seems, per Google’s press release, that A24 will gain access to Google DeepMind’s lab and the brains within to hit a bunch of buzzwords. “The partnership represents the beginning of a collaborative journey, one rooted in research and shared curiosity. While the initial focus is on bridging the gap between cutting-edge technology and next generation entertainment, the specific goals, technical outputs and creative milestones of this initiative will evolve over time,” Google said. Variety reported something slightly more specific, at least, stating that Google’s team will work with A24 to build out new workflows. A24 partner Scott Belsky offered a bit more detail in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. Unlike other Hollywood studios that have partnered with AI companies, he said, A24 is not looking for ways to use AI to