Even as actors and writers voice concerns and legal battles begin over artificial intelligence, the entertainment world is increasingly relying on AI technology.
Hollywood is known for its storytelling and keeping things behind the scenes private, but a recent Los Angeles Times review of job listings reveals what’s really going on in the industry.
In late June, over 10% of hundreds of job postings appeared to be related to artificial intelligence. Major studios seem to be hiring both to develop AI tools and to protect their creative work from being misused by AI.
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As a movie buff, I’m seeing a huge reaction from Hollywood to OpenAI’s new Sora 2! It seems like the big studios, agencies representing actors, and even the unions are really pushing back against what OpenAI is doing with this technology – it’s definitely causing some drama right now.
Yoland Yan, co-founder of ComfyUI, explained that many studios are quietly hiring people with AI skills, even though they don’t publicly advertise those positions. ComfyUI assists these studios in managing various AI technologies.
Film companies haven’t been sharing much information about their use of generative AI, largely due to fears of negative reactions from audiences and labor unions.
In Hollywood, some are comparing using AI to getting cosmetic surgery – it’s widespread, yet people generally keep it under wraps.
Job postings indicate that both Amazon MGM Studios and Walt Disney Studios are actively seeking experts in artificial intelligence and innovative production technologies.
Bryn Mooser, CEO of the AI film studio Asteria, explained that the increase in jobs mentioning AI shows it’s already being widely used.
Netflix recently posted a job that didn’t exist a year ago.
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Eighteen entertainment professionals, featuring actors Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Natasha Lyonne, have formed a new group to champion creators’ rights as artificial intelligence rapidly develops.
As a film buff, I was really intrigued to see Netflix was hiring a “Manager, Generative Workflows.” Basically, they’re looking for someone to help bring more AI into how they make movies and shows – and they’re promising you’ll get to actually work with this really new, exciting tech. It sounds like a fantastic opportunity to be on the forefront of filmmaking!
Many companies are announcing plans for generative AI, but most haven’t actually proven those plans work in real-world applications. This new role at Netflix will focus on integrating AI into the films and shows released in the U.S. and Canada.
While many businesses are hesitant to discuss their AI strategies, prominent figures in entertainment, who aren’t bound by corporate restrictions, have been more willing to talk about using AI for creative projects and storytelling.
Rejecting AI is like picking a horse and buggy over a car, said “Star Wars” creator George Lucas.
He recently told a trade magazine that artificial intelligence is making filmmaking much simpler. “There’s no stopping it,” he said. “It’s simply progress, and it’s the way things are going.”
Okay, so things are getting interesting in Hollywood with this whole AI thing. I’m seeing more and more studios actually working with AI companies – making deals and stuff. Even some big names like Martin Scorsese seem to be quietly supporting them. It’s a bit of a surprise, honestly, because you’d expect maybe more pushback, but it looks like at least some folks are open to seeing how AI could change things.
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With technology changing so quickly, more and more filmmakers and studios in Southern California are starting to use artificial intelligence to completely transform the process of creating movies and television programs.
Ben Affleck launched an AI film tech company then sold it to Netflix for half a billion dollars.
When starting InterPositive, Affleck explained his goal was to maintain a human touch in filmmaking. He wanted to develop AI technology that could help with tasks like adjusting lighting or creating needed footage, but always ensure artists remained in control of the creative process.
A recent Times survey revealed that InterPositive is looking to hire two experienced leaders to integrate artificial intelligence into its visual effects programming.
To understand the current activity within major film studios, The Times employed Claude Code to create a tool that searched for job listings at Disney, Universal, Paramount, Warner Bros., Sony, Netflix, and Amazon MGM. This search, conducted in late June, revealed approximately 250 publicly available job postings, with around 30 of them specifically related to artificial intelligence.
As a movie critic, I’ve been following the industry’s moves with AI closely, and it’s becoming clear how different studios are approaching this tech. Disney, Netflix, and Amazon seem to be experimenting with AI directly in the creative process – things like scriptwriting or visual effects, potentially. However, the bigger players like Universal, Paramount, Warner Bros., and Sony appear more focused on using AI for behind-the-scenes work: marketing films, figuring out distribution strategies, and really diving deep into understanding what audiences want. It’s a split approach right now, with some embracing AI as a creative partner and others seeing it as a powerful analytical tool.
Disney, Netflix, and Amazon are all developing consistent AI systems for creating visual effects, animation, sound, and dubbing. They’re both forming their own internal teams to build unique AI tools and utilizing existing software from other companies.
None of the jobs advertised were to create AI that wrote scripts or created AI actors.
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In March, Netflix bought the artificial intelligence company owned by Ben Affleck. Recent financial documents show that Netflix paid $587 million in cash to acquire the actor’s film technology business.
Disney is expanding its use of artificial intelligence with around ten dedicated AI roles. This move allows the company to strengthen both its AI research and creative production capabilities, all while safeguarding its iconic characters.
Mouse House is looking for highly skilled researchers with PhDs to advance computer graphics and artificial intelligence for movies at Pixar and Disney. They want people who can translate cutting-edge research into real-world filmmaking techniques.
Industrial Light & Magic, a visual effects company owned by Disney, was looking for leaders to investigate new technologies – like artificial intelligence and machine learning – to improve how they make movies and shows.
Skywalker Sound, the audio post-production division of the company, appeared to be hiring people to develop its own AI technology. This technology would focus on things like creating soundtracks, isolating individual voices within recordings, and changing how someone sounds – essentially taking a person’s unique voice qualities and applying them to new speech.
Disney was also increasing its hiring to protect its content. They posted three jobs focused on ‘content security,’ which involved evaluating AI tools and preventing piracy, as well as ensuring proper watermarking and copyright protection.
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ByteDance, the company that previously owned most of TikTok, has been actively reaching out to people in the film industry – including directors, creators, and studio leaders – to showcase their AI-powered video creation tool, Seedance.
So far, the company has responded to AI’s use of its copyrighted works by filing lawsuits against AI companies. They’ve also cancelled plans to invest $1 billion in OpenAI.
Netflix’s posts suggested it is bringing more AI to the creative side of its business.
Girish Balakrishnan, a director at Netflix, explained at the Runway AI film festival how the company used artificial intelligence to generate crowds of soccer fans for the documentary “Brazil ’70” and to create wide-angle shots of fight scenes in the series “Glory.”
According to recent job postings, Amazon is actively expanding its artificial intelligence efforts. They’re looking for leaders to implement AI tools throughout their business, as well as specialists in automating processes and categorizing content created by large language models.
Seattle’s streaming service is leading the way in using artificial intelligence, having already funded three animated series created with AI technology this past May. In addition, Amazon has invested in Innovative Dream, a production company based in Manhattan Beach.
While movie studios are increasingly investing in artificial intelligence, many people working in the film industry aren’t embracing the change, and some moviegoers are worried about the implications.
SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union, recently approved a new four-year agreement that includes safeguards against the use of artificial intelligence to create performers without permission. The union is also supporting a national law aimed at protecting people from having AI create digital copies of them without their consent.
Since 2023, movie and TV studios have been meeting with the union twice yearly to privately share updates on how they’re using artificial intelligence. According to someone involved in these talks, the studios have stated they aren’t currently employing AI in a way that would completely eliminate human jobs.
The union hasn’t found any proof that studios are using AI to generate performances, but the studios are required to inform them if they do.
Because actors, writers, filmmakers, and audiences are still uneasy about how much AI is being used in movies – and haven’t agreed on what’s okay – studios are being very cautious, according to Mooser, the CEO of an AI film studio.
He explained that while implementing this has been difficult from social, ethical, and legal standpoints, they’re currently witnessing its widest acceptance yet.
2026-07-26 13:32