Google Invests $75 Million in A24 to Develop AI Filmmaking Tools

Google committed $75 million to A24 on June 22, 2026, forming a research partnership with Google DeepMind to build new AI tools for filmmaking. The deal marks the first time Google has taken a direct equity stake in a major Hollywood studio, a line no major tech company had crossed with a film company of A24's standing before.

The First Studio Equity Stake

Google already owns YouTube through Alphabet, and its DeepMind division has spent years building AI tools for creative applications, including the Veo video generation models released earlier in 2026. The A24 investment is different in kind. This is a direct equity position in a production company that finances and distributes films for theatrical release and awards campaigns.

The $75 million is tied specifically to the AI research partnership, not a general capital raise. A24 was most recently valued at $3.5 billion. The Google commitment does not alter A24's creative independence or its mandate to back unconventional projects. It does place Google at the table as A24 develops the next generation of its production tools.

"We believe the best way to develop tools that empower artists is to work directly with them," said Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind.

A Research Deal Without a Production Mandate

The structure distinguishes this arrangement from nearly every other studio AI agreement signed in the past two years. A24 gets access to DeepMind research, infrastructure, and technical personnel. Google DeepMind gets creative input from A24 to shape how its tools are designed. Neither side carries a production mandate, and Google gains no access to A24's content library or film catalog.

That content exclusion matters. Lionsgate granted Runway access to build a generative model trained on its film and TV library. Netflix paid roughly $600 million to acquire Ben Affleck's InterPositive, bringing its tools directly into the production workflow. Disney struck a licensing deal with OpenAI that ended in March 2026 without producing a lasting framework. In each case, the tech company gained some form of access to creative output, either as training data or as a production integration point.

"We believe breakthroughs happen when you get technology into the hands of the best minds in the field," said Eli Collins, VP of Product at Google DeepMind.

What the Tools Will Actually Do

Scott Belsky, who leads A24 Labs, was direct about the intended direction of the work. "We think there are better uses that preserve creative control and support risk taking," he said. The tools, he added, "won't look anything like the prompted generation type of AI that people feel uncomfortable with."

The stated applications include AI storyboarding, new previsualization workflows, and tools that help directors explore shot compositions and scene possibilities before physical production begins. These are early stage creative tools, not post production automation. The goal, as Belsky framed it, is to extend what filmmakers can try without increasing what they have to spend to try it.

A24 has won 10 Oscars in the past five years on films including Everything Everywhere All at Once, Past Lives, and Midsommar. Its reputation for backing unconventional, director driven work means any AI tool bearing its name carries an implicit endorsement. A tool that visibly compromised the studio's creative identity would cost A24 the filmmaker relationships that define its value as a studio.

The Broader Shift in Tech Studio Partnerships

For a year that began with multiple studio AI partnerships collapsing or being quietly walked back, the A24 announcement signals a recalibration. The first wave of deals prioritized speed: tech companies offering access to capabilities, studios offering content or distribution reach. Many produced friction.

Google's approach through A24 inverts that logic. DeepMind brings its research directly to the people who will use the tools. A24 shapes the design, the creative constraints, and the standards the tools will have to meet to be useful in actual production. The $75 million moves toward the filmmakers first, then shapes the technology around what they need. It reflects a pattern Google started earlier with its AI Literacy Initiative at Sundance: reach the artists directly, and let the tools follow from that conversation.

IndieWire's analysis noted that the A24 deal "might be different than other studios," specifically because the tools are being built for creative expansion rather than cost reduction. That difference, if it holds through development, would make any tool produced by this partnership a harder sell to studios that view AI primarily as a line item.

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Sources

Variety | Deadline | The Hollywood Reporter | The Wrap | IndieWire