The Week AI Boiled Over: 13 Must-Read Stories
From deepfakes to deep fears, Hollywood has realized the bots have arrived
Way back in June (remember then?), Lionsgate vice chair Michael Burns told Matthew Frank that “the first couple pitches have been thrown” when it comes to AI in Hollywood.
“I wouldn’t even say we’re through the first inning.”
It’s safe to say we are now deep into what feels like just the beginning of what will be a very long homestretch — with extra innings to come.
This week, Erik Barmack’s Reel AI columns about the newest versions of OpenAI’s most disruptive products (ChatGPT-5 and Sora 2) had the town talking — and everyone has very strong opinions.
To say he views both as Hollywood’s most existential threats of the modern age would not be an overstatement.
Make sure to check out his new OpenAI series here:
AI is becoming the threat of all threats to the industry, and potentially its greatest opportunity. Will AI be able to make a new film from a single text prompt? It hasn’t been ruled out. But most importantly: Will Hollywood ranks — executives, writers, crew and all — have a place in the new AI order?
The answer to that question is more complex than a short response. As part of our commitment to delivering the highest-quality journalism about this industry, we’ve spent the last year reporting on ways the industry can start to react in real time to what is happening with AI: the good players (the ones who honor copyright, for example), the enforcers and cops, and what this all means for jobs. Including yours.
Here’s a curated list of stories to help you and your company meet the moment.
AI at the Studios
In a special three-part series, Erik Barmack laid out the case for why it’s not just production that should be worried about the encroachment of AI — the tech is coming for executive jobs.
TV Animation Jobs vs. AI
There’s potential for AI to be an animation artist’s assistant rather than job killer. But Roma Murphy, co-chair of the Animation Guild's AI task force, tells Series Business’ Elaine Low that the kind of “rudimentary, entry-level tasks” AI could replace are the “entry-level jobs in the industry.” Elaine dives into the risk-reward dichotomy facing TV animation.
Exec Worries
Following up on his three-part series about AI at the exec levels, Erik explains how new AI models may inspire Hollywood’s own DOGE-like efficiency drive — and why your next coworker could be an AI copilot.
China’s AI Threat
The Chinese startup Kling AI became a tool in the U.S.-China tariff war, producing best-in-class video and viral memes at the speed of culture. Erik breaks down how Kling, a text-to-video model, could be more disruptive to Hollywood than TikTok.
The AI App That Makes Apps
In a more hopeful look at the effects of AI, Erik explained how the hot AI coding app Cursor (valued at $9 billion by backer Josh Kushner, who also now backs A24), could rewire century-old Hollywood workflows — and how Erik was able to build a YA development app in a matter of hours.
Film Schools’ Students vs. Profs AI Fight
Many in Hollywood fear the newcomers who will possess all the AI skills and knowhow, making industry veterans obsolete. But those Hollywood entrants are just as terrified by AI’s ability to wipe out entry-level gigs. Matthew talks to film school deans, faculty, students and industry experts, who fill him in on universities’ fiery divide.
Veo 3’s Jobs Threat
Google’s Veo 3 won’t just speed up AI video generation — it’s set to imminently alter Hollywood production (and jobs). Erik figured out how more than 118,000 behind-the-camera jobs could be impacted in the next 18 months. “Veo 3 might not be Disney, but it’s playing in the same revolutionary sandbox,” Erik writes.
Elon Musk’s Grok Hawk
Another AI video generation tool with the power to upend Hollywood jobs: Elon Musk’s Grok. Erik weighed the existential stakes when actors, writers and directors are replaced by an instant deepfake factory embedded in X’s feed. “The jobs that vanish will far outnumber the jobs that appear. The camera operator gives way to the AI auditor; the storyboard artist to the content moderator,” Erik writes. “The ‘dream factory’ starts to look like an endless customer service desk for a machine.”
The AI Agent In the Workplace
Ari Kang is an AI talent agency assistant who helps an NYC-based company’s 300-plus clients. “On average, [at] most agencies, the agent-to-client ratio would be like 1-to-25 to 1-to-40,” says U-Shin Group Artists owner U-Shin Kim. “So I'm gonna just leverage out AI and see if I can run a thousand.”
