Lionsgate partners with AI firm Runway to train generative model on film and TV library

Lionsgate has announced a new partnership with the artificial intelligence research firm Runway to leverage AI in content creation. This collaboration will see Runway gaining access to Lionsgate’s extensive film and TV library to train a generative model customized for the studio’s proprietary portfolio. This partnership aims to enhance the content creation process for filmmakers by integrating AI into both the pre-production and post-production phases.

Michael Burns, Lionsgate’s vice-chair, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, noting that Runway is a “visionary, best-in-class partner” in AI technology. He believes that this collaboration will provide significant cost savings for Lionsgate, potentially amounting to “millions and millions of dollars.” The generative model is expected to assist in various aspects of filmmaking, including storyboarding, background scenery, and special effects.

Runway, known for hosting an annual AI film festival in Los Angeles and New York City, is facing some legal challenges. A group of visual artists has claimed that Runway’s image-generation system infringes on their copyrights. This legal issue is a concern amid a challenging period for Lionsgate, which has seen several of its recent releases underperform at the box office. Films such as the reboot of The Crow, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, and Borderlands have failed to meet expectations, with significant financial losses reported.

The timing of the announcement is also notable, coming just after California Governor Gavin Newsom signed two bills to restrict the use of AI replicas of performers. These bills, supported by the Screen Actors Guild, aim to regulate the use of AI in entertainment. Furthermore, new guidelines have been introduced for documentary filmmakers to promote the ethical use of AI in nonfiction storytelling.

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