Ellison Says AI Could Outstrip CGI in Film, Cutting $60 Million Production Costs
Updated
Updated · The Verge · Nov 10
Ellison Says AI Could Outstrip CGI in Film, Cutting $60 Million Production Costs
3 articles · Updated · The Verge · Nov 10
Summary
David Ellison told Paramount Skydance’s earnings call that AI could become the film industry’s “biggest creative unlock in modern history,” with a larger impact than CGI.
Citing Terminator, he said a movie that cost $4 million then would run $60 million to $70 million today, and argued AI tools could make budgets more digestible and support riskier original storytelling.
Paramount Skydance has already been developing its own AI tools, which Ellison said will make content easier to produce, speed projects across the company and reshape how it works.
Ellison framed AI as a tool rather than a substitute for creators, saying premium IP, live events and “truly hand-crafted storytelling” should gain value in a world of AI-generated slop.