Google invests approximately 12 billion yen in film production company A24; Google DeepMind and A24 to jointly develop 'AI tools for film production.'
On June 22, 2026, Google DeepMind announced a research partnership with
Google DeepMind and A24 launch research partnership
https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/models-and-research/google-deepmind/deepmind-a24-research-partnership/
Exclusive | Google Investing in 'Backrooms' Studio A24 as Part of New AI Research Partnership - WSJ
https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/google-investing-in-backrooms-studio-a24-e7585ebe
This marks Google's first investment in a film studio, and the company has officially announced that it has invested in A24 as part of a partnership. Google DeepMind and A24 have been in discussions since around 2025, and A24 Labs, A24's technology division, is already developing an application that uses AI to generate movie storyboards.
Google DeepMind stated, 'This partnership brings together a world-leading research institution with a film studio that prioritizes filmmakers, helping artists develop new workflows and technologies. In the future, the tools will be shaped by the creators who use them.' They also indicated that they plan to incorporate feedback from the field into development by conducting prototyping and testing with A24 filmmakers and researchers.
According to the Wall Street Journal, A24 is already developing an application that uses AI to create storyboards through its A24 Labs team of 20 people. The application is intended to assist with rough video design before filming begins and to identify issues before production starts.
Scott Belsky, who leads A24 Labs, commented, 'Mainstream Hollywood productions have made very little use of AI until now. This is because developers have been pushing AI as a means to make movies faster and cheaper, which is not appealing to filmmakers. We believe there are better ways to use AI, such as supporting risk-taking while maintaining control over creativity. It will be something completely different from the type of AI that generates instructions in a way that makes people uncomfortable.'
A24 was valued at approximately $3.5 billion (approximately 564 billion yen) in its 2024 funding round, and Google's investment is roughly the same amount as the investment made by investment capital firm Thrive Capital in 2024. A24's revenue has more than doubled in the past two years, driven by increased film production budgets as well as expansion into television, music, and theater businesses.
On the other hand, concerns remain strong in the film industry regarding AI training data, copyright, and creative autonomy. A24 is also moving forward with a film adaptation of the game ' Elden Ring ,' which will cost approximately $175 million (approximately 28.2 billion yen), and this partnership will likely be an attempt to demonstrate whether they can maintain a creator-centric stance while expanding their business scale.
A live-action film adaptation of 'ELDEN RING' has been announced, and it has been revealed that George R.R. Martin will be involved in the production as a producer - GIGAZINE
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