According to Puck's Matthew Belloni, AI has quietly become embedded in everyday filmmaking processes across Hollywood studios and production companies. The technology is no longer aspirational or experimental—it is operational. The central tension in the industry is no longer whether AI will be used, but rather who will control the tools, own the outputs, and benefit from AI-generated content.

The shift from 'whether' to 'who controls' represents the maturation of AI adoption in entertainment. The industry has largely accepted the inevitability of AI integration and is now focused on the economic and contractual frameworks that will govern use. Union negotiations, copyright claims, and revenue-sharing arrangements are becoming the central battleground as studios deploy AI systems at scale.

What This Means for Your Business

Content creators and studios should establish clear policies around AI use in production, including disclosure, compensation for actors and writers, and content attribution. For production companies not yet using AI tools, competitive pressure is mounting—competitors are already deploying them for efficiency gains. However, transparent AI use and proper crediting may become market differentiators. Procurement teams should begin evaluating AI tools for specific production workflows (visual effects, script analysis, storyboarding) rather than waiting for industry-wide standards.