Canal+ to Integrate AI into Film Production to Cut Costs

Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada has announced the use of artificial intelligence in the operations of its studio, StudioCanal. According to him, these new tools will enable the creation of scenes that were previously impossible to film. Saada compared the adoption of AI to the evolution of traditional special effects, emphasizing that the technology will serve as an assistant for creative teams, not a replacement for them.

StudioCanal CEO Anna Marsh views AI as a way to optimize budgets. This will allow the studio, which is already accustomed to working with lower costs than its US competitors, to create more spectacular products. The company is consulting with industry professionals to maintain a balance between technology and creativity.

However, actors’ unions (SAG-AFTRA) are skeptical. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland insists that algorithms cannot replicate the emotional depth of a live performance, and that an overemphasis on AI risks losing the authenticity of stories.

According to McKinsey, the implementation of AI is already reducing production costs by 5–10%, and in the next five years, up to 20% of budgets will be allocated to algorithms. The industry is reacting quickly: Netflix has acquired Ben Affleck’s AI startup, and studios are actively using machine learning for de-aging actors (The Irishman) or restoring archival footage (The Wizard of Oz for the Las Vegas Sphere).

Prosus CEO Fabricio Bloisi believes that the technological revolution, for which a decade was allotted, will happen within the next two years.