Stars and AI: Netflix, Autodesk, and Investment Funds

From acquisitions to new funds, from storyboards to short films, famous artists and investors are multiplying initiatives around AI. Between a $587 million check for a post-production tool and an acquisition by Autodesk, the uses and structures are becoming clearer, while courses and upcoming projects are being announced.

Autodesk Acquires Wonder Dynamics

In 2024, Autodesk acquired Wonder Dynamics, the AI-based 3D animation and visual effects tool company founded by Tye Sheridan in 2016. The actor claims to have been involved in AI for a decade. In the same movement of structuring the sector, Serena Williams launched the Starfire program this year after investing in over 60 companies, including consumer product startups.

Netflix Spends $587 Million for InterPositive

In July, federal documents indicated that Netflix spent $587 million to acquire InterPositive, a company created by Ben Affleck in 2022. InterPositive designs solutions based on an AI model to optimize post-production, particularly for sound mixing, scene lighting adjustments, and visual effects integration. Affleck, claiming to have achieved significant benefits through AI, supported this method at the CNBC Delivering Alpha summit in 2024. According to him, these systems will alleviate the heaviest and most costly tasks, reduce costs, and lower barriers to entry so that more voices can be heard.

Ashton Kutcher Leaves Sound Ventures to Create an AI Fund

In July, Ashton Kutcher left Sound Ventures after 11 years to create a new venture capital firm focused on AI startups. Sound Ventures is among the early investors in OpenAI and Anthropic. In 2024, at the Berggruen Salon in Los Angeles, he described how AI should transform storytelling in Hollywood. On the funding side as well, Gwyneth Paltrow launched Kinship Ventures and took stakes in several AI companies, including Forethought AI, Potion AI, and the meditation app Moments of Space.

AI Enters Production: Shorts and Storyboards

Darren Aronofsky launched Primordial Soup in 2025, which collaborated with Google DeepMind to produce short films and developed the animated series On This Day… 1776, using AI tools to recreate moments from the year of the country's founding. For him, it is time to explore and shape these tools for the future of storytelling. In June, Martin Scorsese announced that he was becoming an advisor to Black Forest Labs and had already used its AI tools to design a storyboard for a future film. At the same time, Matt Stone and Trey Parker launched Deep Voodoo during Trump’s first presidency by creating a deepfake film about the president; this company is considered a key player in Hollywood in this field.

James Cameron Joins the Board of Stability AI

In 2024, James Cameron announced that he had joined the board of Stability AI, known for Stable Diffusion. He claims to have been at the forefront of emerging technologies for over thirty years and sees the intersection of generative AI and CGI image creation as the next wave. Beyond advisory roles, the dissemination of skills is being organized: will.i.am is dedicating himself with FYI.AI to a messaging platform for creatives and teaches a course on AI in partnership with Arizona State University. On the project side, Natasha Lyonne plans to direct Uncanny Valley using tools from Asteria, co-founded in 2022 with Bryn Mooser, while Gwyneth Paltrow recently planned an unofficial dinner in honor of Sam Altman. Outside of cinema, Robert Downey Jr. launched The Footprint Coalition in 2019 and estimated at an Amazon Re:Mars event that robotics and nanotechnology could significantly, if not completely, clean the planet within 10 years.