{"id":269568,"date":"2025-10-01T16:10:18","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T16:10:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/269568\/"},"modified":"2025-10-01T16:10:18","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T16:10:18","slug":"generative-ais-leap-from-indie-labs-to-global-screens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/269568\/","title":{"rendered":"Generative AI\u2019s Leap\u2014from Indie Labs To Global Screens"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Killer_Kings_1920x1080_TT\"<\/p>\n

Watch Killer Kings Now<\/p>\n

Max Einhorn<\/p>\n

The global entertainment and media industry reached about $2.9 trillion in revenue in 2024 and is projected to hit $3.5 trillion by 2029, according to PwC\u2019s Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2025\u201329. Bloomberg Intelligence projects the generative AI market could reach about $1.3 trillion by 2032. Against that backdrop, a new history series, Killer Kings, premiered Summer 2025 on Sky HISTORY. Killer Kings fuses true crime with history to put six notorious rulers\u2014from Henry VIII to Caligula\u2014back on trial. Each episode reopens the case, testing fresh and conflicting evidence to ask: monster, or product of the moment? Produced by FirstLookTV and distributed globally by Sphere Abacus, the series\u2014which producers say is TV\u2019s first fully AI-generated documentary\u2014uses AI-crafted reenactments created by Gennie, the generative-AI content studio focused on documentary and non-fiction, to rebuild courts, palaces, and battlefields with startling realism.<\/p>\n

FROM DEMO TO BROADCAST<\/strong><\/p>\n

In my new video interview with Max Einhorn<\/a>, the Gennie cofounder puts the problem plainly: \u201cIt takes hundreds of thousands of dollars to make a reenactment that looks good, millions of dollars to make it look great\u2026 Generative AI does give this new sort of freedom that for a fraction of that cost, you can produce things that look really excellent, that just draw the audiences in.\u201d His north star for nonfiction is just as clear: \u201cEnhance, not replace creativity.\u201d And his advice to the industry is urgent: \u201cAnyone who is curious about AI and has not started to use it should start to be using it as soon as possible\u2026 to keep up with that pace of innovation, you need to start participating in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

WHY IT GOT COMMISSIONED<\/strong><\/p>\n

Daniel Korn, vice president of programming at Hearst Networks EMEA, says the pitch paired a psychological lens\u2014testing whether each ruler was shaped by circumstance or showed true pathology\u2014with AI-driven visuals that brought each era to life. \u201cIt was an excitingly original approach\u2026 plus the terrific visual concepts First Look and Gennie presented, courtesy of AI, to bring each respective period to life.\u201d<\/p>\n

On risk, he says, \u201cIt didn\u2019t feel like a huge risk because of the collaborative nature of the working relationship with First Look and Gennie\u2026 we were kept informed every step of the way. There was a strong relationship of trust from the get-go and throughout.\u201d Audience response was \u201cincredibly positive,\u201d and the AI-assisted visuals \u201cmeant that the pacing and rhythm of the show was very propulsive and satisfying.\u201d Looking ahead: \u201cWithout doubt, a fundamental shift\u2026 significantly higher production values on a much more cost-efficient basis.\u201d It also \u201cpromises a bright and bold new horizon for producers and networks alike.\u201d<\/p>\n

INSIDE THE INDIE WORKFLOW<\/strong><\/p>\n

FirstLookTV \u2014 the production company and owner of Killer Kings \u2014 approached the brief with creative integrity first, says Will Hanrahan, cofounder and editor in chief at FirstLookTV. \u201cIt was more a question of asking how could AI give us a creative edge given our determination to ensure the integrity of the content. We were challenging the technology to prove its content was fair and safe to use\u2026 after a lot of trial and error, I think we have produced some great material.\u201d<\/p>\n

The budget was a by\u2011product. \u201cSaving money was not the aim. Advancing creativity was,\u201d he says. \u201cRepresenting medieval Kyiv, England and ancient Rome became possible and that did mean big savings\u2026 we still needed our crews on the ground to collect the original material for AI to use. So big savings, but not necessarily low spending.\u201d<\/p>\n

On creative impact: \u201cIt expanded considerably our creative options or there would be no point to it. It\u2019s fun to challenge what is, in effect, a new \u2018paint\u2011brush\u2019 for us to use. When it comes to storytelling, we do not compromise.\u201d<\/p>\n

STUDIO-SCALE ADOPTION<\/strong><\/p>\n

Studios are moving AI from pilots to practical use, pairing targeted production shots with platform improvements. Tom Hume, director of product management at Google DeepMind, says the near-term shift is creative latitude, not gimmicks: \u201cWe\u2019ve heard filmmakers talk about how it\u2019s a challenge to get the backing to make certain scenes happen, like a car chase or helicopter crash. Now with Veo and tools like Flow, they\u2019re only limited by imagination, not budget.\u201d<\/p>\n

Guardrails remain part of the brief. \u201cWe have very clear policies for the users of our tools, which set these expectations out – for instance, they shouldn\u2019t make anything illegal or inappropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n

His advice to independents mirrors the workflows in this piece. \u201cWe\u2019re still early in generative AI, so experiment and see where it\u2019s most useful for you. Maybe it\u2019s a helpful tool to iterate quickly during your concepting and storyboarding phase, or maybe it\u2019s the exact tool you need to bring to life the imaginary world you\u2019ve been dreaming up – only you can know.\u201d<\/p>\n

PUBLIC BROADCASTERS & THE ARCHIVES<\/strong><\/p>\n

Public networks and archive teams in Europe are testing AI where risk is lowest and value is highest<\/a>: smarter metadata, assisted retrieval and conservative visual creation with provenance baked in. The aim isn\u2019t synthetic spectacle; it\u2019s service\u2014helping journalists, producers and educators find and verify material faster.<\/p>\n

GUARDRAILS ENABLE SCALE <\/strong><\/p>\n

Michael Wise, former CTO at Universal Pictures who also led multiplatform distribution tech at Turner, argues that responsibility is the price of admission. \u201cCreativity is the raw ingredient of this industry. AI should be a responsible accelerant \u2014 not a replacement.\u201d He adds that studios should \u201cuse licensed or consented inputs with clear attribution and compensation,\u201d because \u201cif the flywheel of creativity and compensation breaks, the whole model of our industry is at risk.\u201d \u201cEnsuring appropriate provenance and safety guardrails are in place is also essential to protect IP and audiences alike.\u201d<\/p>\n

On what executives should do first, he offers a measured timeline: \u201cAI\u2019s impact on film and television creation will take considerable time as technology matures, creatives become comfortable with its use, and IP issues are resolved. However, innovation and investment in new content creation workflows is continuing unabated and will quickly enable short form and emerging formats to be produced at a low cost with tremendous creative fluidity. Lessons learned here will translate to how television and feature content will be produced. Don\u2019t waste this moment with complacency \u2014 leverage this window to upskill your teams through tests and pilots. Explore new content and distribution models to be prepared for the time when AI content creation techniques move their way up the value chain.\u201d<\/p>\n

WHAT\u2019S NEXT: COLLABORATION NOT REPLACEMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n

Across interviews, a pattern emerges: keep crews in the loop, use models to extend craft, and label AI-assisted sequences in language audiences understand. Genres that are hardest to film \u2014 natural history and high-concept historical reconstructions \u2014 stand to benefit first as tools stabilize.<\/p>\n

Wise says the medium-term change requires a structural rethink: \u201cWe\u2019re at the inception of a radically different way to produce content, leveraging AI tools to produce \u2018first-citizen\u2019 creative elements.\u201d Expect early transformation in 3D VFX, animation, previs and localization \u2014 with live-action following \u201cas models become convincingly better at producing consistent photoreal results with accurate physics.\u201d Marketing, he adds, will shift too: \u201cContextual, personalized marketing assets will become much more capable in terms of cost and effectiveness.\u201d In a fast cycle, \u201cstaying nimble is as important as ever \u2014 capturing the benefits of this unprecedented innovation cycle requires it.\u201d<\/p>\n

What began in indie labs now plays on global screens \u2014 the job is not to replace creativity but to widen its canvas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Watch Killer Kings Now Max Einhorn The global entertainment and media industry reached about $2.9 trillion in revenue…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":269569,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[691,738,140223,140221,140219,102098,140222,140218,140220,140224,158,67,132,184,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-269568","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-artificial-intelligence","8":"tag-ai","9":"tag-artificial-intelligence","10":"tag-firstlooktv","11":"tag-gennie","12":"tag-global-screens","13":"tag-google-deepmind","14":"tag-hearst-networks","15":"tag-indie-labs","16":"tag-killer-kings","17":"tag-sky-history","18":"tag-technology","19":"tag-united-states","20":"tag-unitedstates","21":"tag-universal-pictures","22":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269568","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=269568"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269568\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/269569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=269568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=269568"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=269568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}