Amazon MGM Studios has greenlit three AI-developed children’s shows under its GenAI Creators Fund, with productions going from concept to greenlight in as little as two months.
Amazon MGM Studios announced Wednesday it has greenlit the first three children’s shows that were created under a new initiative to use artificial intelligence (AI) in content development.
The GenAI Creators Fund pays filmmakers, digital creators and startups to use AI to develop their projects in a short time frame.
“Punky Duck” series director Jorge Gutierrez said he is used to spending two years making a pilot, but his new show was greenlit to run on Amazon after just two months.
“The best way I can describe it is, it’s like you have sex and then someone hands you the baby,” Gutierrez said at the annual AI on the Lot Conference, where the first images of the approved animated series were shown. “It’s pretty crazy.”
Two more projects — “Diana Music Hunters” from Albie Hecht and “Cupcake & Friends” from Buzzfeed Studios — were also greenlit in a couple of months, reflecting a new approach from major studios.
Hollywood’s unions and artists have raised concerns about the use of AI, with creatives, writers and actors fearing they could be replaced by digital facsimiles.
AI Studios chief at Amazon MGM Albert Cheng told the conference that the technology won’t eliminate jobs, it will actually reduce costs and timelines to make it possible to increase the number of productions.
But Cheng acknowledged “AI is addictive,” adding that it’s important for humans to make sure they don’t “succumb and let our brains go to waste.”
