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For decades, the creative industries have explored technology’s potential to shape society, from the dystopian visions presented in movies like “Blade Runner” and “The Terminator” to the optimistic future of “A.I. Artificial Intelligence.” But in recent years, AI has moved from on-screen fiction to real-world transformation—and with generative AI, the TV and film industries are at the epicenter of this shift. Yet AI isn't here to replace human creativity in TV and film; it's here to enhance it.
In 2025, we predict that AI will continue transforming the production cycle—not by eliminating creative jobs, but by providing new tools, redefining roles, and sparking synergies between creative teams and technology.
Rather than replacing artists, AI acts as an enabler
Pixar, a tech-born company, pioneered computer-generated imagery (CGI) to bring deeply emotional stories like “Toy Story” to life. Pixar’s innovative use of CGI technology was never about replacing human artistry; it was about enhancing the production process and improving the quality of animated films. The technology was always in service to supporting character-led storytelling with heart. We believe that AI will take on a similar supporting role with human creativity as the lead.
The Academy Award-winning “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” described by The New York Times as a “metaphysical multiverse galaxy-brain head trip,” provides a powerful example of AI complementing human creativity. Runway AI’s green screen technology and stable diffusion were used to create the film's otherworldly scenes, seamlessly blending complex images to conjure the multiverse in visually compelling ways. Additionally, Filmmaker AI’s background removal tool streamlined postproduction, enabling the small visual effects team to achieve high quality results within tight deadlines.
The 2023 SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes set a clear precedent: AI should serve as a tool to support, not replace, human talent. A year later, AI tools are gaining traction, with advertising creatives, studios, and filmmakers experimenting with generative AI use. Inevitably, adoption varies across the industry with mixed attitudes among artists. The overarching expectation is that lower-level work will be automated, releasing humans to bring their focus and creative talent to truly make a difference on projects. In fact, we predict that in 2025 there will be a lack of creatives with the expertise and skills required to use the new AI tools available.
Democratizing creativity and unlocking new possibilities
We believe that with thoughtful and pragmatic usage, AI tools have the potential to blend innovation and creativity to bring stories to life faster, at lower cost, and eventually at the required level of quality.
Use cases that we predict will grow in 2025 include:
- Applications like Runway AI’s text-to-video tool and Cinelytic’s analytics and predictive film intelligence platform that are designed to plug into production workflows, helping studios and filmmakers streamline production tasks and make more informed business decisions.
- Tools like Pencil AI that can create high-quality, low cost ads in minutes, with predictive analytics to test performance. ChatGPT also provides analytical capabilities, allowing industry players to create audience archetypes to test new TV programs.
- From a post-production perspective, we expect localization AI applications that improve dubbing and subtitling solutions to see a continued increase in usage in 2025. Platforms like Speechify, ElevenLabs, and Panjaya.ai simplify and expedite the process to dub audio and create closed captioning. This enables distribution companies to unlock incremental revenues in territories where localization costs have historically been prohibitive.
GenAI is rapidly improving, but in its current state, there are still limitations to what it can do and should be used for. At the highest level, this technology is not yet capable of handling full-scale film and TV production end-to-end. In addition, vendors in the pre- and post-production space are often newer entrants, catering to specific use cases and niche applications. We predict that the output quality and efficacy of the best of these tools will continue to evolve through 2025.
Studios need to identify a combination of tools and seamlessly integrate them into existing and improved workflows to optimize across various stages of production. Move.ai, for example, uses advanced motion capture to track human movement without the need for traditional suits. OpenAI’s Sora is still in development with the intention to offer AI-driven support for tasks like script analysis and storyboarding, enhancing efficiency in early production stages.
The increased stability, maturity, and improved functionality of niche, use-case-specific tools is essential. Companies need confidence that incorporating these tools into integrated pipelines doesn’t create a single point of failure.
The media and entertainment sector is at the leading edge
Creative industries have always been at the forefront of new technology adoption, and this remains the case for this current wave of innovation.
According to AlixPartners’ annual Digital Disruption Survey, 44% of media and entertainment companies see AI as a significant revenue opportunity. The companies that will thrive are those that thoughtfully embrace this disruption, adapting their business and commercial models to harness AI’s potential for the future.
Navigating IP and ethical concerns
While AI’s upside potential for TV and film production is undeniable, it also raises serious legal and ethical challenges. As Deepak Chopra said, "Technology can be beautiful and diabolical, just like people.” It's up to us which version of AI we create.
Many GenAI tools in the pre- and post-production space rely on copyrighted materials to train large language models (LLMs), raising the major issue of infringement risk. There is also the key consideration of whether the IP created using AI is afforded the same legal protections. With no clear standards, navigating these questions is complicating the use of AI in the creative landscape. A development which we expect to see take hold in 2025 is the use of proprietary LLM “walled gardens”—the concept of training an LLM with a limited database of information. For example, Lionsgate’s partnership with Runway AI involves training a content LLM exclusively using cleared, in-house content.
As regulatory responses evolve in different ways around the world (i.e. the EU’s AI Act, which went into law in July), entertainment companies will need to approach AI responsibly and within legal boundaries to ensure legal compliance and public trust. This is a complex and thorny issue which is unlikely to be fully resolved in 2025.
Practical steps for managing risk in the age of AI
We believe there are eight core building blocks for effective AI governance, each of which must be tailored to a company’s particular AI strategy and appetite for risk. The essentials for each of these governance elements are outlined below:
Seizing the AI opportunity
It all starts with strategy—focus on the business problems that matter.
Success will depend on how companies embrace AI for high-impact use cases, prioritizing practical applications that deliver tangible results. No single tool can do it all, so choosing the right vendors—or more likely, a combination of them—to augment the existing creative toolset is essential across the production cycle.
AlixPartners’ “Practical AI for CEOs” playbook digs into how to pragmatically apply AI to drive immediate value, while keeping an eye on emerging long-term use cases. In our experience, to succeed you must:
- Start by analyzing your business strategy and determine where AI fits.
- Focus on a finite set of use cases that are impactful—those that are feasible and scalable in the present.
- Get the technology and data foundations right—AI is nothing without quality data. And without a technology architecture and vendor strategy that lets you test, learn, and scale, you won’t get far.
- Consider the buy, build, and partner options— look for available solutions that can get you there faster rather than falling into the “build first” trap.
- Most importantly, take your people on the journey with you. This isn’t just about technology—it’s about transformation.
In 2025, we expect to see the greatest AI utilization across the TV and film industry for simple, measurable creative opportunities.
Our prediction for AI in the creative industries in 2025
Real magic can happen when human creativity and technological innovation come together in thoughtful ways.
Collaboration and interaction between AI models and creative people are key to harnessing the power of the tools. Will there be a labeled distinction in the future between AI vs. human content? Or will it quickly become hybrid content where it is indistinguishable where the human begins and the machine ends? This also requires commercially safe, ethically trained models with no risk of IP infringement to the creative output.
We don’t foresee layoffs from AI integration in 2025 as production studios and filmmakers expand consideration and experimentation with GenAI use. Instead, this technology will drive efficiency, enable better decision making, and enhance storytelling. In fact, we believe that in 2025 there will be a lack of creatives that possess the expertise and skills to effectively use the new AI tools available.
At this stage, AI isn’t here to replace human creativity. It’s here to amplify it.
