Images and video · 2026-11-10

Paramount CEO: AI could be the 'biggest creative unlock' in film

Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison compared AI to the CGI boom of the early 90s, saying it could make filmmaking cheaper but will never replace artists.

✨ What the executive said

During Paramount Skydance's earnings call for investors, CEO David Ellison said it is hard to imagine AI not having a bigger impact on the film industry than CGI (computer-generated imagery). He called AI potentially the "biggest creative unlock in modern history." For comparison, he pointed to the early 90s, when CGI and digital compositing arrived and films like Jurassic Park and Terminator 2 were made.

📌 Why it could cost less

Ellison gave Terminator as an example: he said it cost $4 million to make, but making the same film today, shot for shot, would cost $60 to 70 million. He suggested AI tools could make budgets more manageable so studios can take more risks on original stories.

🔹 What it means for viewers

Ellison also said Paramount has been developing its own AI tools, which will make content easier to produce and speed up projects across the company. He stressed that premium intellectual property and live events will become more valuable. He added that in a world of AI slop, hand-crafted storytelling will always be in demand, and that AI is a tool for artists, not a replacement for them.

🔸 Good to know

These are statements from the company's CEO, not specific results or a report on how AI will change film production. The source does not give details about the tools Paramount is developing.

Sources: 🔗 The Verge — AI