Google DeepMind is investing approximately US$75 million (around £60 million) in independent film studio A24 as part of an AI research partnership announced Monday, marking the search giant’s first direct investment of this kind in a Hollywood studio.
The multiyear, non-exclusive deal will give A24 filmmakers access to DeepMind’s AI tools to explore new creative workflows and production techniques. The companies described the collaboration as a research and development effort focused on building practical AI tools in partnership with working filmmakers rather than imposing them externally.
“We believe the best way to develop tools that empower artists is to work directly with them,” Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis said in a statement. “By collaborating with filmmakers and industry leaders like A24 from the beginning, we can build new AI features to support artists in authentic, meaningful storytelling that helps enable their creative vision.”
A24, known for recent hits including “Backrooms” and “Marty Supreme,” was valued at roughly US$3.5 billion (£2.8 billion) in its prior funding round with Thrive Capital.
The partnership signals a new phase of AI entrenchment in the film industry, moving from behind-the-scenes experimentation toward direct influence over how stories are developed and distributed. The industry has reacted with concern, the announcement came just 24 hours after reports that A24 passed on Luca Guadagnino’s “Artificial,” an anti-AI Sam Altman biopic that also failed to find a buyer at Focus, Warner Bros, and Netflix.
Google’s stock fell nearly 6 per cent on Monday on unrelated news that DeepMind scientist and Nobel laureate John Jumper had left the company to join rival Anthropic.
Sources: Google invests in A24 to build AI movie tools (The Verge, June 22, 2026); A24 Partners With Google in $75M AI Deal for “Filmmaking and Distribution Techniques” (World of Reel, June 22, 2026); Google to invest $75M in independent film studio A24 under AI research deal (Proactive/Yahoo Finance, June 22, 2026)