Hollywood's open secret: It's battling AI but already recruiting to use it

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Set us as preferred As performers protest and studios sue in their war on artificial intelligence, the entertainment industry is deepening its dependence on it.Although few places are better than Hollywood at crafting a narrative and concealing what happens off-frame, a Los Angeles Times survey of job postings sheds light on what is happening offstage.Among hundreds of job postings in late June, more than one in 10 was likely connected to AI.

The top studios’ public postings suggest they have been recruiting people to build AI tools.They are also recruiting teams to defend their intellectual property against unauthorized AI use.

Hollywood Inc.OpenAI’s Sora 2 has ignited a firestorm in Hollywood, as studios, talent agencies and unions push back against the tech company’s advances.“There are plenty of studios that are hiring [for AI] but never talk about it in public,” said Yoland Yan, a co-founder of ComfyUI, a company that helps studios juggle different AI tools.

Companies have been hesitant to detail how they use generative AI in film production — partly because they are concerned about consumer and union backlash.Some in Hollywood described AI use as the new cosmetic surgery, where everyone knows it is happening, but few will admit to it.Recent want ads show Amazon MGM Studios trying to find a principal AI executive and Walt Disney Studios advertising for a production innovation technologist job.“What you’re seeing in those job postings is that adoption is already happening,” said Bryn Mooser, chief executive of Asteria, an AI film studio.

Netflix recently posted a job that didn’t exist a year ago.Hollywood Inc.

A group of 18 people who work in the entertainment industry, including actors Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Natasha Lyonne, launched a coalition that aims to advocate for the rights of creators amid AI’s boom.The streamer was hiring for the role of “Manager, Generative Workflow...