The announcement that A24, one of the most beloved indie film studios of the past decade, is officially launching an AI division hasn’t exactly gone over well with the public.
Many are calling it a betrayal of the very spirit that made the studio popular in the first place.
The news came from The New Yorker, where partner Scott Belsky shared his vision. According to the magazine, Belsky is assembling a team of engineers and designers who “see storytelling as the ultimate delivery mechanism for inspiration and hard truths.”
More room for experimentation?
He said that part of the work will involve developing internal tools for tasks such as predictive marketing and audience discovery.
But the bigger pitch is giving creators new ways to experiment — from debating character psychology with a large language model to “pre-visualizing characters, costumes, and particular scenes” before shooting even begins.
“The world’s greatest creators should be able to take more creative risk,” Belsky told The New Yorker, suggesting AI could expand the landscape of imagination.
Nandan, another executive quoted in the piece, framed it as a way to help filmmakers safely dip their toes into AI. The hope, he mused, was that AI could even help studios reach “microcommunities” in new ways.
Netizens aren’t buying it
Once The New Yorker shared the article on X, film fans and industry workers piled on with angry reactions. Many argued this move undermines the very thing A24 has stood for since its founding.
“Time to start burning all of that goodwill built up over the past decade. I’m sure this will work without a hitch!” one person wrote.
Another said, “I really dgaf whether you love A24 or hate them for various reasons, but let’s not pretend the biggest, most recognizable name in Independent Cinema launching an AI Division is not TERRIBLE for the industry.”
Others speculated that the decision shows desperation across the industry.
“Heads of AI, noticing a collapse on the horizon, desperately want to shove it down your throats like YouTube is doing right now and are trying to force you to accept it. Funny how A24 is doing it as well, considering their film Heretic was far more based on its AI stance,” one user posted.
One comment drew a sharp contrast with A24’s past achievements.
“Literally Daniel Kwan gave a speech urging the industry to quit this AI bullshit last [expletive] month,” they wrote. “And this month the same studio he gave their biggest box office hit EVER and SEVEN [expletive] OSCARS, launches an AI division. A24 GO [expletive] YOURSELVES.”
Others pointed out the potential long-term fallout. “A24 needs to check themselves before they wreck themselves. They're going to drive away their best talent by betting on AI,” a commenter warned.
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