During the Digital Hollywood conference, executives from Nvidia, AWS, Microsoft, and Paramount discussed how AI is reshaping the entertainment industry. They emphasized how artificial intelligence is increasing productivity, reducing production costs, and helping studios build stronger connections with audiences.
Here are the nine AI startups in Hollywood they spotlighted.
1. Runway — Text-to-Video at Scale
Runway, now valued at $1.5 billion, uses text-to-video (T2V) technology to accelerate the creation of marketing content. By converting written scripts into video quickly, it dramatically cuts production timelines for studios. Runway has partnerships with Paramount, AWS, Nvidia, and Google.
2. Krikey.ai — 3D Avatar Animation
Krikey.ai specializes in animating 3D avatars for interactive marketing campaigns. The startup is part of the AWS Startup Accelerator program, giving it access to cloud infrastructure and enterprise studio clients.
3. Cuebric AI — Democratizing Filmmaking
Backed by both Nvidia and AWS, Cuebric AI converts still images into multi-dimensional scenes. The technology lowers the barrier to high-quality production, making cinematic-grade filmmaking more accessible to independent creators.
4. Luma AI — Text to 3D Models
Luma AI, backed by Andreessen Horowitz and built by former members of the Apple Vision Pro team, generates detailed 3D models from text prompts. The startup is opening a lab in Hollywood as demand for immersive content grows.
5. xMentium — Legal AI for Entertainment
xMentium is an AI tool designed specifically for the entertainment industry, streamlining the drafting and referencing of legal documents such as contracts and licensing agreements. It has raised approximately $7 million in funding.
6. Speechmatics — Transcription and Translation
Speechmatics develops AI transcription and translation technology, helping studios reach audiences in new regions with accurate captioning and dubbing. It is a participant in Nvidia's Inception incubator program.
7. Twelve Labs — Smarter Video Search
Twelve Labs improves the findability of video content by using contextual understanding rather than simple keyword matching. The technology also enables more precise insertion of ad breaks, opening new revenue streams for content owners.
8. ElevenLabs — Voice Cloning and Dubbing
ElevenLabs rose to prominence through its AI voice cloning platform and is now enabling Hollywood studios to dub films and shows into new languages for global distribution. In January 2024, ElevenLabs became a unicorn after raising $80 million at a valuation of approximately $1.1 billion.
9. Hour One — Digital Humans and Avatars
Hour One creates realistic digital humans and avatars for real-time content applications. The company's technology was used to build a digital double of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Hour One is targeting news broadcasts and live sports as key deployment areas for its avatar platform.
What Executives Said
AWS General Manager Samira Panah Bakhtiar pointed to AI as a powerful tool for monetizing archival content — an untapped revenue source sitting inside major studios' vaults. Paramount EVP and CTO Phil Wiser stressed AI's growing role in content distribution and accessibility, signaling that the major studios see these technologies as core to their long-term strategy.
Together, these nine startups illustrate how AI in Hollywood is moving beyond experimentation and into active production pipelines, deal-making, and distribution infrastructure.
