Google needs Hollywood more than the studios need AI

Google has reportedly approached major Hollywood studios to license copyrighted material for training its AI models in exchange for large payments, according to the Los Angeles Times. While the deals could provide a financial windfall for studios and boost Google's competitive edge in AI, they carry distinct risks for each studio, and the Verge's Charles Pulliam-Moore argues that Google needs Hollywood more than studios need AI.

Google needs Hollywood more than the studios need AI By Charles Pulliam-MooreSource: The Verge AI https://www.theverge.com Google has reportedly been reaching out https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2026-08-31/how-google-is-courting-hollywood-to-use-its-ai-tools to a number of Hollywood's biggest studios, hoping to strike licensing agreements that would allow it to train its AI models on copyrighted material in exchange for massive piles of cash. In theory, these deals would be a win-win: a huge financial boon to the studios that would also give Google a significant advantage in its race to outpace other AI companies. But while there's little downside for Google, these deals pose a distinct set of risks to each of the studios that might be thinking about going all-in on AI. Getting into bed with Google this way might benefit Hollywood in the short term, but … Get AI news in your inbox Daily digest of what matters in AI.