"AI won't save Hollywood, it will only destroy it," the producer Marc Blitstein wrote, while the filmmaker Hayden Hewitt predicted that Lionsgate intended to train only on property they own so they can "copyright the lukewarm vomit that comes out the other end".

Lionsgate, the studio behind the John Wick and The Hunger Games franchises, has raised some eyebrows by signing a deal with a tech startup to “explore the use of AI in film production.” The news was announced in a press release on Wednesday,

The Hollywood studio will give the tech company access to its library of movies and shows in exchange for a custom-built AI model.

In return for allowing AI video company Runway access to its content catalog, Lionsgate will get a custom AI model.

The studio behind the “John Wick,” “Hunger Games,” and “Twilight” franchises just made a deal with an artificial intelligence startup to use its back catalog to build a custom AI model. It could be a tipping point.

The studio recently distanced itself from a Megalopolis trailer full of chatbot-generated quotes, but its new deal with Runway suggests it'll be embracing AI more openly in the future.

In a significant move, Lionsgate and the video-focused artificial intelligence research firm Runway have inked a deal that will see Runway train a new generative AI model on Lionsgate content, and will see the entertainment company use the tech as it produces future film and TV projects.