Lionsgate strikes deal to train AI models on its movies and shows

AI startup Runway has made a name for itself by building generative models trained on unlicensed content that exists on the internet. Now, the company has struck a deal with Lionsgate that will give it access to the studio's vast portfolio of films and TV shows.

Today, Lionsgate — the studio behind movies like John Wick and the Hunger Games franchise — announced that it is partnering with Runway to create a new customized video generation model that aims to "help filmmakers, directors, and other creative talents advance their work."

In a statement about the deal, Lionsgate vice president Michael Burns called it a path toward creating "capital-efficient content creation opportunities" for the studio, which sees this technology as "a great tool to enhance, expand, and complement our existing operations." Burns also emphasized that "many of our filmmakers are already excited about its potential applications in their pre-production and post-production process."

Runway co-founder and CEO Cristobal Valenzuela reiterated Burns' sentiment about the new model's utility, saying the company's goal is to give filmmakers "new ways to bring their stories to life."

Specific details about the deal — such as whether creative teams will be compensated if/when their project is used as training material for the models — are currently scant. But as The Hollywood Reporter notes, the prospect of being able to keep production costs low could be one of the big selling points for Lionsgate, a studio known for sticking to smaller budgets than other entertainment outfits.

The news of Lionsgate's deal with Runway comes at a time when studios have begun increasingly implementing AI into their projects, despite concerns from many filmmakers that unchecked use of the technology could put their jobs at risk. The studios' insistence on being able to create and use AI replicas of background performers was one of the major points of contention that led to the SAG-AFTRA strike last year.

These concerns are why California Governor Gavin Newsom signed two bills backed by SAG-AFTRA earlier this week that would give performers and their estates more control over how and when their digitally created counterparts can be used by studios. And later this month, Newsom may sign SB 1047, another controversial law that would make AI developers liable for "serious harm" caused by their products.

(We contacted SAG-AFTRA for comment about the partnership between Runaways and Lionsgate, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.)