Earlier this week, independent film studio A24 announced that it had signed a $75 million “artificial-intelligence research partnership” with Google DeepMind. The fallout was immediate, as the audience of film buffs that A24 has successfully cultivated over the past fifteen years began mourning its death within 24 hours of said announcement.
While the reaction from A24’s fanbase came as no surprise to the internet at large, it seemingly came as a bit of a surprise to A24 itself, as Sophia Shin, a communications representative for the company, attempted some form of damage control in a statement provided to Wired.
“This is a research partnership,” Shin told Wired. “We’re working side-by-side with DeepMind’s researchers to learn, iterate, and build, having an active hand in shaping new tools and workflows.”
“Our relationship with our audience is something we don’t take for granted,” she continued. “This partnership exists because we want to dictate what tools get built for artists, and so they have a voice in shaping them rather than having tools handed to them. We’d rather have a seat at the table than on the sidelines.”
why do artists need a voice in shaping tools they should never have any intention of using https://t.co/Qgby1va7Ui
— Cris ✨ (@lionesspike) June 26, 2026
Unfortunately for Shin, A24’s fans are already not impressed with its justification for the Google DeepMind partnership. In a rare example of online cohesion, almost nobody on the internet, including on the r/A24 subreddit, is buying A24’s excuse for buddying up with Google.
However, fans aren’t the only ones who are unimpressed with A24’s AI-research deal with Google DeepMind, as Backrooms director Kane Parsons weighed in on the partnership in his official Discord server: “Making it very clear those resources are not to be spent on Backrooms,” replied Parsons, in response to a comment about a potential Backrooms sequel with A24. “Obviously, A24 is a big machine. I’ve got no input on this investment[…]I can’t imagine this decision is popular with most directors.”
Funnily enough, this echoes comments made by some of A24’s fans, who see Shin’s need to make a statement as proof that their distaste for the Google DeepMind partnership is getting through to A24’s upper management. That being said, production companies only truly value their bottom line, so perhaps the threat of Parsons not directing a sequel to its most profitable film of 2026 is a more compelling reason for A24 to rethink the partnership.
