The recent horror sensation, Backrooms, captivated audiences with its unsettling themes of repetition and degradation. Many saw its depiction of a monstrous, mindless world as a stark critique of generative AI, an interpretation that clearly resonated. This highly-acclaimed film has now surpassed $300 million at the global box office, marking it as the biggest hit yet for its acclaimed boutique producer and distributor, A24.
Given Backrooms’ implicit critique of AI, it comes as quite a surprise that A24 recently announced a $75 million research partnership with DeepMind, Google’s prominent artificial intelligence lab. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, this collaboration aims to develop new filmmaking “tools” under A24’s technology startup, A24 Labs, led by cofounder Scott Belsky. This move has certainly stirred conversation within the industry and among fans.
Sophia Shin, A24’s Head of Communications, clarified the nature of the collaboration in an email to WIRED, stating, “We’re working side-by-side with DeepMind’s researchers to learn, iterate, and build, having an active hand in shaping new tools and workflows.” This suggests a proactive approach to influencing AI development rather than passively adopting existing solutions. The partnership signals a complex shift in how a venerated indie studio is navigating the future of film.
The Paradox of Partnership
This A24-DeepMind alliance is merely the latest in a series of often controversial unions between Silicon Valley and Hollywood. Late last year, Disney invested $1 billion in OpenAI’s video generation model, Sora, licensing beloved characters like Mickey Mouse. However, just months later, Sora was discontinued, highlighting the unpredictable nature of AI development in creative fields.
The perceived threat of AI to cinema and the broader creative arts feels increasingly existential to many. Concerns range from the automation of entry-level jobs and the undermining of writers’ rooms to the potential for AI-generated content to flood multiplexes with everything from bland to outright abominable creations. Some studios have even initiated lawsuits against AI companies for copyright infringement, underscoring the deep tensions at play.
Adding to these worries, there’s a growing concern about AI’s “chilling effect” on the film business. For instance, studios reportedly distanced themselves from Luca Guadagnino’s biopic about OpenAI founder Sam Altman, titled Artificial. Against this backdrop, A24’s partnership with DeepMind felt particularly puzzling and contentious, especially given the studio’s unique standing in contemporary film culture.
Fan Fervor Meets Corporate Strategy
A24’s legion of die-hard fans has not taken news of this latest collaboration well, expressing significant disappointment online. When A24 released the trailer for Jesse Eisenberg’s new musical drama, The Debut, comments on platforms like X were flooded with criticism. Fans posted tombstone emojis declaring the company’s “death,” promised illegal pirating to hurt profits, and made snarky remarks about the perceived irony of the situation.
A24 has cultivated a powerful image as a tastemaker in the film space, much like Disney sells nostalgia, A24 has successfully branded itself as “hip and cutting-edge.” Since its founding in 2012, the studio has championed critically acclaimed independent films like The Witch, Moonlight, Midsommar, and the Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All At Once. Their distinctive logo preceding a trailer often creates immediate hype, a rare feat in a landscape dominated by franchise blockbusters.
The studio has also launched and supported the careers of numerous acclaimed filmmakers, including Sofia Coppola, Denis Villeneuve, and Ari Aster. This commitment to artistic vision has earned A24 a dedicated fanbase that collects branded merchandise, an unusual phenomenon in the entertainment industry. As media studies professor Andrew DeWaard notes, “They’ve branded their company as edgy, forward-thinking, and appealing to young people. They’ve created a fandom for their company.”
Addressing the fan reaction, A24’s Shin stressed, “Our relationship with our audience is something we don’t take for granted.” She further clarified the rationale behind the partnership: “This partnership exists because we want to dictate what tools get built for artists, and so they have a voice in shaping them rather than having tools handed to them. We’d rather have a seat at the table than on the sidelines.” This suggests a desire to steer the direction of AI rather than be swept up by it.
Beneath the Indie Veneer: Business Realities
Despite A24’s carefully curated “edgy” brand, some scholars argue that the DeepMind deal is not a sacrilegious departure from its actual business practices. Andrew DeWaard, author of Derivative Media: How Wall Street Devours Culture, points out that A24’s cofounder, Daniel Katz, previously led film financing at Guggenheim Partners, a firm known for investments in environmentally impactful resource extraction. Moreover, A24 received a significant cash injection from Thrive Capital, which is also a major investor in OpenAI.
The company’s “seat at the table” justification echoes a familiar narrative in the tech world: that the AI takeover of cinema is inevitable. This argument, often advanced by stakeholders in AI firms, suggests that resisting AI is futile, akin to railing against a natural progression. DeWaard explains, “They want to make AI feel inevitable… they want it to feel normal. Culture is part of that.”
Film critic Esther Rosenfield views the deal, at least for Google, as a form of positive public relations. She suggests, “They’re saying, ‘We want to launder our reputation through you.’ We want to make it look like serious artists are going to be making things with these tools.” This perspective highlights the ongoing struggle to bridge the gap between AI’s technical capabilities and the nuanced demands of artistic taste, as generative AI is frequently criticized for producing “slop” due to its inability to discern quality.
A24’s Shin firmly insists that this research partnership is not an attempt to create AI-generated content featuring copyrighted A24 characters, like Howie Rainer from Uncut Gems. She openly admits, “Truth is we don’t necessarily love any of the current AI outputs on screen in Hollywood.” Instead, the focus is on behind-the-scenes improvements: “This partnership is about learning and helping pain points in workflows more than anything else.”
Source: Wired – AI
