Last summer, Amazon MGM Studios released a special AI Studio to develop proprietary artificial intelligence tools to streamline television and film production, with a focus on areas such as improving character consistency in shots and pre- and post-production support.
According to a report from Reutersthese tools are now ready to move beyond internal testing. Amazon will launch a closed beta program in March, inviting industry partners to test its AI tools.
Amazon said it expects to report initial results from the program by May. The company chose not to provide further details about the developments when approached by TechCrunch for comment.
AI Studio works with notable producers such as Robert Stromberg of “Maleficent” fame, Kunal Nayyar of “The Big Bang Theory” and former Pixar animator Colin Brady to learn how best to apply these tools. Amazon also uses Amazon Web Services for support and plans to partner with several LLM providers.
Albert Cheng, who leads the AI Studios initiative, emphasized that the goal is to support creative teams, not replace them. The focus is on improving efficiency and reducing costs, while ensuring that intellectual property is protected and that AI-generated content is not absorbed into other AI models. An example used is Amazon’s ‘House of David’ series, which appeared 350 shots generated by AI in the second season.
However, the rise of AI adoption in Hollywood has sparked a lot of debate. Many people in the industry are worried about what it means for jobs, creativity and the future of film production.
Conversations around artificial intelligence are getting louder as more companies experiment with these new tools. For example, Netflix has also jumped on the AI bandwagon, with co-CEO Ted Sarandos revealing that its series “The Eternaut” used genetic AI to create a building collapse scene.
In recent years, Amazon has cited its success with artificial intelligence as a factor in layoffs. The company recently cut 16,000 jobs in January, following 14,000 layoffs last October.
