LOS ANGELES, Feb 4, 2026, 09:13 (PST)
- Amazon MGM Studios is rolling out a closed beta for new AI tools this March, aiming to share results by May.
- Studio executive Albert Cheng is spearheading the project and assures that humans will remain involved throughout.
- As production budgets climb and job insecurity lingers in Hollywood, Amazon is pushing to slash costs and streamline workflows.
Amazon is gearing up to roll out new AI tools at Amazon MGM Studios aimed at accelerating movie and TV production, under the leadership of veteran exec Albert Cheng. The company will launch a closed beta with select partners in March, with plans to reveal the initial results by May.
The push arrives as studios and streamers grapple with rising production costs that threaten to cut the number of projects they approve. Meanwhile, AI is sparking tension in Hollywood, with workers concerned automation might shrink crews and change creative roles.
Amazon has pushed teams company-wide to identify AI use cases, pointing to efficiency gains from the technology as a key factor behind the roughly 30,000 corporate layoffs since October. Among those affected were positions at Prime Video.
Cheng leads the effort within an “AI Studio” he calls a small, startup-style team inside Amazon, following Jeff Bezos’ two-pizza team rule—small enough that two pizzas can feed everyone. Most of the team consists of product engineers and scientists, while a smaller group handles creative and business roles.
Amazon aims to close what Cheng refers to as the “last mile” gap between consumer AI tools and the precise control filmmakers need. Initial goals focus on maintaining character consistency across shots and working seamlessly with established production software used in the industry.
Amazon is relying on its cloud arm, Amazon Web Services, to back the effort and intends to partner with several major large language model providers. These models, AI systems trained on vast text datasets, excel at generating and analyzing language. They find use across the board — from pre-production planning to post-production editing.
Cheng pointed out that climbing costs are squeezing creative risks, but he believes AI offers a faster pace without sidelining human input. “AI can accelerate, but it won’t replace,” he said in an interview.
Amazon emphasized that writers, directors, actors, and character designers will remain hands-on throughout the process, positioning AI as a tool to assist, not replace. Yet some performers, like Emily Blunt, have raised concerns that synthetic talent—like AI actress Tilly Norwood—might render certain jobs in the industry obsolete.
The studio is teaming up with producer Robert Stromberg and his company Secret City, actor Kunal Nayyar alongside his Good Karma Productions, and former Pixar and Industrial Light & Magic animator Colin Brady. Together, they’re testing new tools and exploring how these fit into the production process.
Amazon said the AI Studio project kicked off last August, running trials inside Amazon MGM Studios. The series “House of David” stands out as an early showcase of AI’s potential applications down the line.
Director Jon Erwin combined AI with live-action footage for the second season of the biblical epic, blending the two to enhance battle scenes and stretch the scale of sequences without blowing the budget.
But the plan hinges on a crucial challenge: Amazon must reassure creators their intellectual property remains secure and that AI-generated content won’t be used to train other models. At the same time, it has to calm concerns that speeding up workflows might cost jobs. The trial in March will reveal if these tools actually cut costs or simply add more hassle.
Amazon plans to release early results by May, following a closed beta test with partners scheduled for March.
