The comparison with CGI
During the latest Paramount Skydance earnings conference call, CEO David Ellison addressed artificial intelligence in response to a question about the company's prospects. According to the executive, it is hard to imagine that AI will not have a greater impact on the film industry than CGI did. The reference is to the introduction of digital effects in the early 1990s, a development that, Ellison recalled, made films such as Jurassic Park and Terminator 2 possible.
Ellison described AI as potentially the greatest creative opening in modern history, arguing that generative tools could unleash creative potential comparable to—but on a larger scale than—that seen with the arrival of digital technology. This is a management statement, not a market data point: the source reports the CEO's assessment without providing quantitative forecasts or timelines.
The production-cost lever
The central point of Ellison's reflection concerns budgets. The CEO cited the example of Terminator, recalling that it cost four million dollars and that making it today, scene by scene, would require between 60 and 70 million. Hence the thesis that AI tools can make costs more sustainable and allow for greater production risk-taking, opening space for more original stories.
The logic is that of an economic enabler: if costs fall, according to Ellison it becomes easier to finance projects that would otherwise remain on the margins. The source does not clarify which tools are already operational or what savings have been measured, so the cost reduction remains a prospect indicated by the CEO rather than a documented result.
Internal tools and the value of content
Ellison said AI will significantly change Paramount Skydance's business and that the company is developing its own tools. The expected effect, according to the CEO, is simpler production, an acceleration of projects across the organization and a transformation of work processes. In the same remarks he argued that all this increases, rather than reduces, the value of premium intellectual property and live events.
Alongside his enthusiasm, Ellison set an explicit limit: in a world flooded with content generated in a mediocre way, he said, there will still be a premium on craft storytelling. He also reiterated that artificial intelligence is a tool for artists, not a replacement for them. The two statements coexist in the same remarks and should be read together: the company is betting on production efficiency, but defending the value of human creativity as a differentiating element.
What remains to be verified
The available material is limited to the CEO's words during the call and contains no technical details about the tools in development, nor any indication of investments, timelines or applications to individual projects. It is therefore not possible to establish how far Ellison's forecasts translate into practices already under way. The source also reports that the page invites users to log in to see notifications or join the conversation, with no other useful content.
The journalistically relevant point is the public positioning of a major entertainment group: AI is presented as a production and economic lever, while the defense of artists serves to reassure on the creative front. Subsequent verification, with data on costs and productions, will determine whether the CGI analogy holds.
