Google has struck an AI research partnership with independent studio A24, with the tech giant investing roughly $75 million in the deal, an amount in line with what Thrive Capital put in during the studio’s last funding round, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The partnership will give A24 access to Google DeepMind’s research and infrastructure, while DeepMind researchers will work alongside the studio to build out new workflows. The agreement is non-exclusive and multi-year, allowing A24 to work with other AI companies. Google will not receive access to A24’s content library or data.
It marks the first time Google has taken a stake in a film studio. DeepMind had previously collaborated with individual filmmakers, including Darren Aronofsky, but had not partnered with a studio until now.
“We believe breakthroughs happen when you get technology into the hands of the best minds in the field,” said Eli Collins, a vice president of product at DeepMind. DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis added that the company believes “the best way to develop tools that empower artists is to work directly with them.”
The partnership will be run through A24 Labs, the studio’s technology division led by A24 partner Scott Belsky, a former Adobe executive and co-founder of creative platform Behance who joined the studio in early 2025. His team numbers around two dozen. Belsky told the Wall Street Journal that the studio’s approach differs from deals in which AI has been positioned as a way to make films cheaper and faster. One early application already in development is an AI-generated storyboard tool, a use case that has also drawn interest from Martin Scorsese.
“We think there are better uses that preserve creative control and support risk-taking,” Belsky said, adding that the tools “won’t look anything like the prompted generation type of AI that people feel uncomfortable with.”
The deal places A24 alongside competitors that have already moved into AI-assisted production. Netflix acquired Ben Affleck’s filmmaker-focused AI startup InterPositive earlier this year, while Lionsgate expanded its partnership with Runway AI to develop new IP and produce AI-generated content from existing franchises. Disney entered a short-lived licensing deal with OpenAI even as it sued AI companies including MiniMax and Midjourney for copyright infringement.
A24 has built its reputation on filmmaker-driven projects, with titles including “Lady Bird,” “Moonlight,” “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “Marty Supreme,” and “Backrooms,” the studio’s highest-grossing film to date. Roughly 85 percent of “Backrooms” opening-weekend audiences were under 35, according to PostTrak data. Director Kane Parsons, who built his following on YouTube, has publicly stated his opposition to generative AI, saying he would make it disappear if he could.
The announcement has already drawn criticism. Actor and director Justine Bateman called out the irony of a studio that profited from a staunchly anti-AI filmmaker entering such a deal, and warned A24 directors to prepare to have their films altered against their wishes. The news arrives as roughly half of adults under 30 believe AI will harm society, according to a Pew Research study published last week.