Google DeepMind and A24: $75M on AI in cinema

The timeline: from DeepMind to Hollywood in one announcement

On June 22, 2026, TechCrunch reported the agreement between Google DeepMind and A24 . The investment amounts to $75 million. The stated goal is to develop AI filmmaking tools dedicated to professional film production.

A24 is not a random choice. It is considered the most influential independent production company of the past decade. Plus, it has built a brand strongly tied to storytelling quality and visual experimentation. Therefore, bringing DeepMind into this ecosystem has both technical and symbolic value.

The deal follows a trajectory already initiated in 2025, when several tech players began to strike agreements with the entertainment industry. However, the amount invested and A24's profile make this announcement qualitatively different from previous ones.

The players: who brings what to the table

Google DeepMind brings cutting-edge research to the field of generative video models. Just think of Veo, Google's text-to-video model, which has already demonstrated high-fidelity visual generation capabilities. In particular, DeepMind is working on architectures capable of maintaining narrative coherence across long sequences — an unresolved technical problem for most competitors.

A24, on the other hand, brings something that no model can replicate on its own: an editorial culture, a recognizable aesthetic sense, and a network of top creative talents. Therefore, the partnership is not simply "AI producing films." It's a laboratory where artificial intelligence is trained and validated by high-level creative professionals.

According to McKinsey The media and entertainment sector is among the most exposed to generative transformation, with the potential for automation in creative activities exceeding 30% of the total value produced. Therefore, a structured investment like this has long-term implications far beyond a single film studio.

Short-term winners and losers

The competitive landscape is rapidly reshaping. Here are the main effects already visible or predictable in the next 12-18 months.

• Immediate winners: Google is locking down its spot in creative AI, pulling ahead of OpenAI (Sora) and Runway when it comes to cultural street cred. A24 scores tech and cash muscle to play around without risking its main business.
• Under pressure: Software houses producing traditional post-production tools (editing, VFX, color grading) will see the replacement of established workflows accelerate. Similarly, stock footage providers risk a structural contraction in demand.
• Lateral opportunities: creative agencies and content creators who manage to integrate these tools into their workflow will gain a significant competitive edge. In particular, those working on video advertising and branded content for the Italian market have a window of opportunity to seize before the market gets saturated.

That said, it's smart not to overhype how fast everyone will jump on board. Tools built for pro movie sets take a while before regular agencies or SMBs can actually grab them and put them to work.

Reading SHM Studio: beyond the deal hype

We at SHM Studio Let's break down this agreement into two distinct levels. The first is technical: DeepMind is building next-generation video models, and the collaboration with A24 speeds up the availability of quality datasets for training. Therefore, we expect significant progress in the visual and narrative coherence of generative models by the end of 2026.

The second level is strategic. In fact, when a company like Google brings a 75 million investment into a high-profile creative context, it is also sending a signal to the market: generative AI for video content is ready to be taken seriously. Consequently, corporate budgets dedicated to experimentation in this area will unlock more quickly.

For Italian marketing managers, this means one concrete thing: the time to understand how these tools integrate into your content production processes is now, not in two years. Furthermore, those who delay this evaluation risk finding themselves playing catch-up with more responsive competitors.

On the front AI applied to marketing , we are closely following the evolution of generative tools for content production. In particular, we are interested in understanding how these technologies integrate with workflows. Copywriting and content strategy already in use in medium-sized Italian companies.

What changes for creative agencies and content creators

The DeepMind-A24 deal doesn't have an immediate impact on Italian agencies. Still, it sets a clear direction. AI tools for video production are going to get progressively more powerful, easier to use, and more built into the software we already use.

for a digital marketing strategy oriented towards video content, this implies some operational considerations already today:

• Monitoring emerging tools: Runway, Pika, and Kling & Veo are already available. Additionally, new releases are expected in the second half of 2026. Keeping your tool map up-to-date is a priority.
• Redefining creative workflows: AI does not replace the creative director, but it changes the role of the production team. Therefore, it is useful to map which activities can be accelerated or automated without loss of quality.
• Competitive positioning: agencies that integrate AI into their offering can provide higher quality video productions at lower costs. This is also a relevant topic in LinkedIn campaigns and in the google ads campaigns with video format.

According to Gartner , by 2027 over 30% of outbound marketing messages from big companies will be synthetically generated. So, the question isn't whether to jump on AI content tools, but how fast and with what safety guardrails to do it.

The ongoing work: unresolved issues

It would be incorrect to present this deal as a definitive solution. There are open issues that no investment, however significant, automatically resolves.

First of all, the issue of rights. Training models on existing film material is the subject of ongoing legal disputes in the US and Europe. Despite this, A24 could offer DeepMind a proprietary and authorized dataset, reducing legal exposure. However, the regulatory implications for anyone using these tools in commercial contexts remain to be seen.

Next, there's the issue of controlled quality. Generative video models produce excellent results on short sequences. Conversely, for medium-to-long duration content — like a 60-second spot or a brand film — visual and narrative consistency is still an open problem. Therefore, professional use requires significant human supervision.

Lastly, there is the risk of visual homogenization. If everyone uses the same models trained on the same datasets, the content produced tends to converge toward a recognizable style. For a brand that wants to stand out, this is a risk to seriously consider. In this sense, the work of web design and visual identity maintain a strategic value that AI does not erode, but rather strengthens by contrast.

Next moves: what to consider in the next six months

For marketing managers and digital leaders in Italian companies, we suggest some concrete actions to consider in the short term.

• Audit of existing video AI tools: before waiting for tools derived from the DeepMind-A24 deal, it is useful to test what exists today. Many content production workflows can already benefit from tools like Runway or Veo 2.
• Creative team training: Adopting generative AI requires new skills. Therefore, investing in training today reduces the cost of adoption tomorrow.
• Video SEO strategy review: AI-generated video content has specific implications for the SEO optimization . In particular, the quality of narrative content remains the differentiating factor for organic positioning.
• Technology partner evaluation: not all agencies are equipped to lead this transition. Choosing a partner with both creative and technological expertise is a strategic, not operational, decision. To learn more, you can contact the SHM Studio team for a preliminary assessment.

To stay updated on the evolution of AI tools applied to marketing and content production, the SHM Studio blog publishes regular analyses on these topics.