AI could change film production by making some projects easier to produce and less expensive to take on, according to Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison. Speaking during the company’s latest earnings call, he described the technology as a potential turning point for creative work, while saying it should serve artists rather than replace them.
Ellison sees a shift on the scale of CGI
Ellison compared AI’s possible influence on filmmaking with the arrival of CGI and digital composites in the early 90s. He pointed to Jurassic Park and Terminator 2 as examples of stories made possible by that earlier shift, and said he believes AI could have an even greater impact.
His case rests on the idea that production tools can expand what filmmakers are able to attempt. If those tools make complicated work easier to produce, some projects may become more feasible. That could affect not only how films are made, but also which stories receive the resources to move forward.
Lower budgets could make room for risk
Ellison used Terminator to illustrate how production costs can change over time. He said the film cost $4 million to make and estimated that recreating it today, shot for shot, would cost $60 to 70 million.
He suggested AI tools might help make budgets more manageable, allowing studios to take risks on original storytelling. That is a possibility he is presenting, rather than a demonstrated outcome: the source article gives no specific examples of AI reducing the cost of a film or enabling a particular production.
The argument connects efficiency with creative choice. If a project requires less money or time to produce, decision-makers might find it easier to approve an idea with uncertain commercial prospects. Whether that translates into more original films will depend on how studios use the tools and what kinds of projects they choose to support.
Paramount Skydance is developing its own tools
Ellison said AI will significantly reshape Paramount Skydance’s business and that the company has been developing its own AI tools. He said the tools could make content easier to produce, speed up projects across the organization and change how the company works.
He also argued that easier production would make premium IP and live events more valuable, not less. The point reflects his view that improved tools and high-value entertainment can coexist: faster production does not remove the importance of distinctive properties or experiences that bring audiences together.
The company’s plans, as described in the earnings call, cover work across the organization as well as film production. Ellison did not provide details in the source article about the tools themselves, their rollout, or specific projects that might use them.
AI as a tool, with artists at the center
Ellison paired his enthusiasm for AI with a defense of human creative work. He said that “in a world of AI slop, we think there will always be a premium for truly hand-crafted storytelling.” He also said artificial intelligence is a tool for artists and will never be a replacement for them.
That distinction matters to his broader argument. The promised gain is not simply producing more content faster; it is using technology to help artists and make more ambitious storytelling possible. At the same time, his comments recognize that audiences may continue to value work shaped by people.
For now, Ellison’s remarks set out a vision for how AI might change filmmaking and Paramount Skydance’s operations. The source article reports his expectations, but does not establish how large the eventual effects will be. The central test will be whether these tools expand creative options while keeping artists involved in the work.