As performers protest and studios sue in their war on artificial intelligence, Hollywood is quietly deepening its dependence on the technology. A Los Angeles Times survey of hundreds of studio job postings found that more than one in 10 in late June was likely connected to AI - a hidden hiring spree that stands in contrast to the industry's public fight against synthetic performers and copyright infringement.
The postings show that major studios are recruiting people to build AI tools and to defend their intellectual property against unauthorized use. Companies have been hesitant to discuss these moves openly, partly because of consumer and union backlash. "There are plenty of studios that are hiring [for AI] but never talk about it in public," said Yoland Yan, co-founder of ComfyUI, a company that helps studios manage different AI tools.
What the job postings reveal
Among roughly 250 film studio postings still public in late June, about 30 were directly tied to AI. Disney, Netflix, and Amazon listed creative-side AI roles for visual effects, animation, sound, and dubbing, while Universal, Paramount, Warner Bros., and Sony focused on marketing, distribution, and audience analytics. None of the ads sought AI that would write scripts or create synthetic actors.
Netflix advertised a "Manager, Generative Workflows" role - a job that didn't exist a year ago - promising hands-on experience with generative AI for films in the U.S. and Canada. The listing noted that "the industry is flooded with speculative GenAI roadmaps, but few are battle-tested in production."
Disney posted roughly ten AI openings spanning research, production, and content security. The company is hiring PhD-level talent to study computer graphics and AI for Pixar and Disney films, and Industrial Light & Magic sought supervisors to explore AI and machine learning for new workflows. Skywalker Sound is building proprietary AI models for soundtracks, voice separation, and voice transfer. At the same time, Disney advertised three "content security" positions to assess AI tools, guard against piracy, and manage digital rights - moves that align with its active lawsuits against AI companies and its decision to pull out of a $1 billion investment deal with OpenAI.
Amazon MGM Studios sought a principal AI executive to drive adoption across production, plus roles in operations automation and LLM content classification. The streamer also commissioned three AI animation series through its GenAI creator fund and bankrolled a production services company, Innovative Dream.
Netflix's senior director of creative innovation outlined at the Runway AI film festival how AI was already being used to generate soccer fans in "Brazil '70" and establish shots for fight scenes in "Glory."
Resistance and union oversight
SAG-AFTRA ratified a new four-year contract in June with special protections against synthetic performers and backs a national bill to prevent unauthorized AI replicas. Since 2023, studios have met with the union twice a year to confidentially report AI activities. The union says it has seen no evidence that generative AI is being used to create performances, and the studios are required to notify it if that happens.
Bryn Mooser, CEO of AI film studio Asteria, said the social and ethical challenges haven't stopped adoption. "It's been really a challenging thing to adopt both socially, ethically and legally, but we are seeing more adoption of it than we've ever seen before."
Big names lean in
Some top creators are openly embracing AI. "Rejecting AI is like picking a horse and buggy over a car," said Star Wars creator George Lucas. Ben Affleck launched an AI film tech company, InterPositive, then sold it to Netflix for $500 million; he said he wanted to keep "storytelling human" by automating technical tasks while leaving creative decisions with artists. Martin Scorsese also backs AI companies. The Times survey found two senior InterPositive roles focused on applying AI to visual effects.
Why this matters for writers
The quiet build-out of AI pipelines reshapes what studios expect from writers and production staff. For working writers, understanding how these tools affect script development, notes, and collaboration is no longer optional. Training programs like AI Scriptwriting Courses help writers stay ahead of an industry where AI's role is expanding behind closed doors - even while public debate continues. More general resources such as AI for Writers Courses offer pathways for writers to incorporate these tools into their own creative workflows.
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