Google Pitches Hollywood on Copyright Licensing for AI Training

Google has reportedly approached representatives of major Hollywood studios about licensing copyrighted material for training its artificial intelligence models, according to unnamed sources cited by The Los Angeles Times.

Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Universal have not officially agreed to a deal. Google is reportedly willing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars for access to studios’ libraries. A deal with Disney / Pixar could cost around $40 million for the rights to generate outputs featuring a single copyrighted character, with the total potentially reaching billions as more characters are included.

Studios could also receive a share of advertising revenue from AI-generated content featuring their intellectual property on platforms such as YouTube. For Google, licensed material could strengthen Gemini and help present generative AI more positively to the public after years of controversy over its effects and training data.

The proposed agreements also carry risks for studios. Wider use of AI could reduce production costs and timelines, but it could also threaten entertainment jobs and alienate workers and audiences. Public reaction to AI-generated images in the official artbook for Spider-Man: Brand New Day showed the potential backlash.

Lionsgate signed a licensing deal with Runway in 2024, and the companies say they are working on AI-generated shorts. Google’s reported proposals have not yet produced an official agreement with a major studio.