Google DeepMind invests $75M in A24 for AI filmmaking, loses Gemini co-lead to OpenAI

Google DeepMind is putting $75M into A24, the indie film studio behind a string of prestige hits, in what both sides describe as a first-of-its-kind research partnership to co-develop AI tools for filmmaking. Demis Hassabis amplified the announcement, saying the collaboration aims to ensure the creative tools of the future are shaped by filmmakers themselves rather than imposed on them — a clear attempt to position DeepMind's generative video work as artist-aligned amid Hollywood's anxiety about AI.

The bet on creative tooling is overshadowed, though, by a talent story: Gemini co-lead Noam Shazeer is leaving Alphabet for OpenAI. Shazeer — a co-author of the original Transformer paper and a returning star Google paid heavily to bring back — departing for its chief rival is a symbolic blow, and reporting tied it to a dip in Alphabet's stock. It is one of several high-profile moves this cycle (Nobel laureate John Jumper reportedly shifting from DeepMind toward Anthropic) underscoring that top researchers are the scarcest AI resource.

The A24 deal also intersects with competitive video-generation dynamics: rivals from OpenAI's Sora lineage to open-source tools like LTX Director are racing for filmmaker mindshare, and a studio partnership gives DeepMind real production feedback and IP relationships. Skeptics note $75M is modest for Alphabet and question whether a research partnership produces shipping tools or just goodwill. The bigger watch item is whether the Shazeer departure signals deeper attrition inside the Gemini team just as Google ships its Deep Think reasoning push.