Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison: AI could be the biggest creative unlock in modern history
Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison said on an earnings call that AI's impact on the film industry could surpass that of CGI, calling it "the biggest creative unlock in modern history." Citing The Terminator as an example, he noted that the film cost $4 million to make at the time, while shot-by-shot reshoots today would cost $60 million to $70 million, and argued that AI tools can make budgets more controllable and thereby support more original storytelling. Ellison said the company is developing its own AI tools and stressed that AI is a tool for artists and will never replace them.
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During Paramount Skydance’s latest earnings call , CEO David Ellison said “it’s hard to imagine” AI won’t have a bigger impact on the film industry than CGI. In response to a question about the company’s outlook for AI, Ellison said:
Ellison gave Terminator as an example, describing how it cost $4 million to make, but “if you wanted to make that picture today, shot for shot, it’s $60 to 70 million.” He went on to suggest AI might be able to help with that: “We think these tools will help unlock more original storytelling by being able to make the budgets more digestible to be able to take that amount of risk.”
Ellison said AI will “significantly” reshape Paramount Skydance’s business, saying the company has been developing its own AI tools. As a result of those tools, Ellison claims, “content will be easier to produce, projects across the organization will speed up, and how we work will transform.” He emphasized that “all of this makes the value of premium IP and live events more valuable, not less.”
Ellison also noted that “in a world of AI slop, we think there will always be a premium for truly hand-crafted storytelling.” He added, “We also continue to believe that artificial intelligence is a tool for artists and will never be a replacement for them.”