Amazon’s MGM Studios Unit has formed a dedicated team called AI Studio to build proprietary AI tools aimed at transforming how films and TV shows are made. The proprietary tools will be used to streamline everything from pre-production planning to post-production editing, even as Hollywood remains cautious of the technology’s potential impact on jobs and industry practices.
This team, led by Albert Cheng, is structured as a small, agile unit of engineers and scientists, with some creative professionals, operating somewhat like a startup inside Amazon. The company plans to launch a closed beta programme in March 2026, inviting select industry partners (including producers and directors) to test these AI tools. Early results from that pilot are expected by May 2026.
The company plans to work with multiple large language model providers to give creators a range of tools for pre- and post-production filmmaking and plans to use its most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud computing platform, Amazon Web Services, for assistance.
The tools are designed to support, not replace, human creativity. They are aimed at speeding up and streamlining such things as script prepping, storyboarding, scheduling, maintaining character consistency across shots, editing, visual effects, and integration with existing creative software used in Hollywood workflows.
According to Cheng in an interview, the main purpose of the AI Studio is to cut costs and improve creative workflows while keeping writers, directors, actors, and other creative professionals involved at every step. Amazon, itself, has emphasised that AI won’t make creative decisions or replace these writers, directors, actors, or designers; the company said humans remain in control of core creative decisions even as the tools automate more technical work.
The initiative comes as production costs have risen sharply, making it harder for studios to finance large projects. Amazon has explicitly said that soaring film and TV production budgets have made it harder for studios to greenlight projects and take creative risks. Using AI to accelerate workflows and reduce time-intensive tasks is seen as a way to make more content with better margins.
Notably, streaming services like Netflix and Disney have been leveraging technology to speed production too. So, Amazon’s push is part of the industry's trends where studios experiment with AI to stay competitive and scalable. The company has cited AI efficiencies among the factors behind recent cost-cutting measures, including significant workforce reductions (about 30,000 jobs cut across corporate units, including Prime Video).
Through the AI Studio, Amazon is collaborating with former Pixar and ILM animator Colin Brady, actor-producer Kunal Nayyar and his Good Karma Productions, and producer Robert Stromberg and his company Secret City. Amazon said these collaborators will help test and refine the AI tools in real creative workflows.
Real Use Cases So Far: One early example highlighted is the Amazon series House of David. Its second season reportedly used AI in conjunction with traditional live-action footage to generate hundreds of shots for complex sequences, saving time and cost.
