Meta and Google are reportedly in early-stage talks with major Hollywood studios to license their film and TV content for AI training — and they are offering tens of millions of dollars to make it happen, according to a Bloomberg report.
The AI Video Licensing Push
Both companies are developing AI software capable of generating realistic TV and film scenes from text prompts. To improve the quality of these models, they need high-quality training data — and Hollywood's deep content libraries are exactly what they are after.
Bloomberg reported that Meta and Google have offered studios funding in the tens of millions of dollars to secure licensing partnerships. Microsoft-backed OpenAI is engaged in similar conversations with studios.
How Studios Are Responding
Responses from Hollywood have been mixed. Warner Bros. Discovery has shown a willingness to license specific programmes for use in AI training. By contrast, Walt Disney and Netflix have declined to share their content for AI training purposes, though both companies remain open to exploring other technology partnerships with the tech firms.
Scarlett Johansson and the Question of Creative Control
Hollywood's interest in AI technology is real, but so are its concerns. Studios see potential in AI tools for cutting production costs, yet are deeply cautious about surrendering creative control. The tension became public when actress Scarlett Johansson demanded that OpenAI stop using a voice similar to hers for its chatbot — a flashpoint that illustrated broader industry anxiety about the unauthorised use of celebrities' personas.
AI Already Inside the Studio
AI is already embedded in parts of Hollywood production: de-aging actors, generating realistic makeup effects, and accelerating post-production. Tools like OpenAI's Sora and Alphabet's Veo push that further, enabling filmmakers to produce realistic clips from simple text descriptions in a fraction of the usual time.
Industry Concerns Over Jobs
The rapid pace of AI development has triggered significant anxiety across the entertainment industry. Actors and writers staged prolonged strikes over fears that AI could eventually displace creative professionals. Actor and filmmaker Tyler Perry has been among the most vocal advocates for AI regulation, calling for safeguards to protect human talent from being replaced by algorithms.
Meta and Google's current Hollywood negotiations may mark the beginning of a broader shift toward hybrid human-AI content production — though how studios ultimately respond will shape the trajectory of that change.
