Tech Giants Seek Licensing Agreements with Hollywood for AI Models

Tech giants Alphabet, Meta Platforms, and OpenAI are in talks with Hollywood studios to license content for their artificial intelligence video generation software. The companies are developing technology that can create realistic scenes based on text prompts and have offered financial incentives to partner with studios, Bloomberg reported.

Studios are looking for ways to use AI to lower costs while protecting their intellectual property. However, they are cautious about providing their films and TV shows to tech companies without control over how the content is used. The recent case of Scarlett Johansson demanding OpenAI to stop using a voice resembling hers in its chatbot highlights the concerns of actors and creators about the use of AI technology.

The potential financial gains from licensing content to AI companies are substantial. News Corp. recently agreed to allow OpenAI to use content from its publications in a deal worth over $250 million over five years. Warner Bros. Discovery and other major studios have also expressed interest in licensing some of their programs.

New tools like OpenAI’s Sora and Alphabet’s Veo promise to take AI capabilities in Hollywood to the next level, enabling filmmakers to create vivid and hyper-realistic clips based on minimal descriptions. However, concerns about the impact on jobs and the need for industry regulations have generated both excitement and anxiety in Hollywood.

Actor, filmmaker, and studio owner Tyler Perry has called for the industry to unite and develop regulations to ensure survival in the face of AI advancements. While the music industry has taken a firm stance against AI use, major studios are exploring ways to make AI work for them rather than fighting against it. One of the challenges in licensing content to AI companies is the potential tension between studios and their creative partners, as studios believe they have the right to license their movies, but actors and creators may want approval rights if their likeness or voice is used in AI models.