A24 Responds to Fan Backlash Over Google DeepMind Partnership

A24, the studio behind hits like "Backrooms," "Moonlight," and "Everything Everywhere All at Once," has announced a $75 million research partnership with Google DeepMind. The deal aims to create new filmmaking tools under A24 Labs, led by co-founder Scott Belsky.

Sophia Shin, A24's communications representative, told WIRED that the partnership is a research collaboration where A24 works side-by-side with DeepMind researchers to develop new tools and workflows. However, the announcement has provoked strong criticism from fans. After the release of the trailer for Jesse Eisenberg's "The Debut," comments on social media included accusations that A24 is "ending itself with AI" and calls to pirate the film.

This partnership is the latest in a series of uneasy alliances between Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Earlier, Disney took a $1 billion stake in OpenAI, though the deal later fell through. Some studios have sued AI companies for copyright infringement. Critics see AI as an existential threat to cinema, potentially eliminating entry-level jobs and flooding theaters with AI-generated content.

Experts note that A24 has cultivated a brand synonymous with taste and cultural cachet. Film critic Esther Rosenfield suggests the partnership allows Google to "launder its reputation" through A24's credibility. Andrew DeWaard, author of "Derivative Media," argues that AI companies aim to make AI feel inevitable and normal by embedding it in culture.

A24 insists that the partnership is not about franchising or generating AI movies with its characters. Shin stated, "Truth is we don't necessarily love any of the current AI outputs onscreen in Hollywood. This partnership is about learning and helping pain points in workflows behind the scenes."