Amazon Plans to Use AI to Speed Up TV and Film Production Amid Hollywood Job Fears

Amazon MGM Studio is developing new artificial intelligence tools to speed up movie and TV production, aiming to cut costs and streamline workflows while reassuring creators that AI will support—not replace—human creativity.

Amazon Plans to Use AI to Speed Up TV and Film Production

Amazon has announced plans to use artificial intelligence to accelerate the production of movies and television shows, even as Hollywood continues to express concerns that AI could eliminate jobs and permanently reshape the entertainment industry.

The initiative is being led by Amazon MGM Studio, as the company looks to address rising production costs that have made it increasingly difficult to finance large numbers of films and series.

Albert Cheng Leads Amazon MGM Studio’s AI Push

At Amazon MGM Studio, veteran entertainment executive Albert Cheng is heading a dedicated team focused on developing AI-powered tools designed to reduce costs and improve efficiency across the creative pipeline.

Amazon plans to launch a closed beta programme in March, inviting select industry partners to test these tools. According to the company, it expects to share early results by May.

AI Studio Operates Like a Startup Inside Amazon

Small Team Following Jeff Bezos’ “Two Pizza” Philosophy

Cheng described AI Studio as a startup operating under Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ “two pizza team” philosophy, meaning the group is small enough to be fed by two pizzas.

The team is made up primarily of product engineers and scientists, supported by a smaller group focused on creative and business operations. This structure is intended to move quickly while staying closely aligned with filmmakers’ needs.

Why Amazon Is Publicly Embracing AI in Entertainment

Amazon is leaning into AI as production budgets continue to spiral, limiting how many films and TV shows studios can afford to make. By automating and accelerating certain processes, the company believes it can produce more content efficiently without sacrificing quality.

Cheng said AI will help unlock creativity rather than replace it.

"The cost of creating is so high that it really is hard to make more and it really is hard to take great risk," Cheng said in an interview. "We fundamentally believe that AI can accelerate, but it won't replace, the innovation and the unique aspects that (humans) bring to create the work."

Hollywood Job Fears and Actor Concerns Around AI

The move comes at a sensitive time for the entertainment industry. Several A-list actors, including Emily Blunt, have publicly raised concerns about AI, particularly the emergence of AI-generated performers such as AI actress Tilly Norwood, which some fear could make human actors obsolete.

Amazon has stressed that writers, directors, actors, and character designers will remain involved at every stage of production, with AI serving strictly as a creative support tool.

AI Push Linked to Amazon’s Broader Workforce Changes

Like many major tech companies, Amazon has been pushing nearly every division to find practical uses for AI. The company has pointed to AI adoption as one of the factors behind its decision to cut about 30,000 corporate jobs since October, marking its largest layoff ever.

These cuts included job reductions within Prime Video, underscoring the broader impact of AI-driven restructuring across Amazon.

How AI Could Help Prime Video Scale Production

Cheng said AI could help Prime Video overcome challenges tied to large-scale film and television production, especially when coordinating complex creative workflows across teams and locations.

Bridging the “Last Mile” of Filmmaking

The AI Studio is developing tools to bridge what Cheng called “the last mile” between consumer AI tools and the granular control directors require for cinematic storytelling.

Key focus areas include:

• Improving character consistency across shots

• Enhancing integration with industry-standard creative tools

• Supporting both pre-production and post-production workflows

Role of AWS and Multiple AI Model Providers

Amazon is relying heavily on Amazon Web Services (AWS) to power its AI Studio and plans to collaborate with multiple large language model providers. This approach is designed to give creators more flexibility when selecting AI tools for filmmaking.

Cheng emphasised that intellectual property protection is a priority, adding that safeguards must ensure AI-created content is not absorbed into other AI models without permission.

Creators and Partners Working With Amazon AI Studio

The AI Studio is actively collaborating with established creators as it tests and refines its tools, including:

• Robert Stromberg (“Maleficent”) and his company Secret City

• Kunal Nayyar (“The Big Bang Theory”) and Good Karma Productions

• Colin Brady, former Pixar and Industrial Light & Magic animator

These partnerships are helping Amazon understand how AI can be responsibly integrated into real-world filmmaking.

“House of David” Shows How AI Could Be Used in the Future

The studio, which launched in August, has highlighted its hit series “House of David” as a potential blueprint for AI-assisted production.

For the show’s second season, director Jon Erwin used AI combined with live-action footage to create large-scale battle scenes. The sequences were seamlessly edited together, allowing the production to expand visual scope while keeping costs lower.