Lionsgate Inks Deal to Train AI on Its Films and Shows

Lionsgate, the studio behind prominent film franchises such as John Wick and Hunger Games, has announced a collaboration with Runway to develop a new customized video generation model. This model is intended to assist filmmakers, directors, and other creative professionals in enhancing their work.

In a statement regarding the agreement, Lionsgate Vice Chair Michael Burns described the initiative as a means to create "capital-efficient content creation opportunities" for the studio. Burns emphasized the technology’s potential for augmenting, enhancing, and supplementing current operations, noting that several filmmakers are already enthusiastic about its potential applications in both pre-production and post-production phases.

Runway Co-founder and CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela expressed similar sentiments, highlighting the model’s capacity to provide filmmakers with new methods to realize their stories.

While specific details about the partnership, including potential compensation for creative teams whose projects may serve as training material for the model, remain sparse, The Hollywood Reporter suggests that the ability to reduce production costs significantly likely influenced Lionsgate’s decision. Lionsgate is known for operating with smaller budgets compared to other major entertainment companies.

This development comes in the wake of California Governor Gavin Newsom signing two SAG-AFTRA-supported bills earlier this week. These bills aim to grant performers and their estates more control over the use of their digitally created likenesses by studios. Additionally, there is pending legislation, SB 1047, which aims to hold AI developers accountable for the "critical harms" caused by their products.

Efforts to obtain comments from SAG-AFTRA about the partnership between Runway and Lionsgate were unsuccessful before the time of publication.

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