Studios Quietly Go on Hiring Spree for AI Specialist Jobs Amid Picket Line Anxiety

Alex Weprin
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While the writer and actor strikes are driven by multiple concerns (questions about compensation being a big one), there’s no question that the role of artificial intelligence in entertainment has emerged as a hot-button issue.

In a fiery speech in Times Square on July 25, actor Bryan Cranston epitomized the concerns of actors, telling the crowd of hundreds: “We’ve got a message for Mr. Iger [Disney CEO Bob Iger]: I know, sir, that you look at things through a different lens. We don’t expect you to understand who we are. But we ask you to hear us, and beyond that to listen to us when we tell you we will not be having our jobs taken away and given to robots.”

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The actors fear that studios will take their likenesses or voices, and reuse them over and over for little or no pay, and with little in the way of notice. The writers fear that studios will use large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT to write or rewrite scripts, harming their livelihoods. The producers, aka the AMPTP, argue that AI use should be “a balanced approach based on careful use, not prohibition.”

While the future of AI in Hollywood is unclear, there is no question that the major studios and streaming services are intrigued by the technology. Job listings at almost every major entertainment company show that there is a veritable AI hiring spree going on as companies seek to understand how the technology can change their businesses.

And, fittingly given Cranston’s speech, Disney seems particularly intrigued by the tech. The company has a number of open positions focused on AI and machine learning across the country, per a review of open positions by The Hollywood Reporter.

Some are part of Disney’s “Imagineering” team, the group responsible for turning Disneyland and Walt Disney World into world-renowned attractions.

One job, for an R&D Imagineer focused on generative AI, is looking for someone who has the “ambition to push the limits of what AI tools can create and understand the difference between the voice of data and the voice of a designer, writer or artist.” The role will “collaborate with third party studios, universities, organizations, and developers to evaluate, adopt, and integrate the latest generative AI.” The job promises a base salary of up to $180,000 per year, with the possibility of bonuses or other compensation as well.

Another role, for a machine learning engineer in the Disney Streaming Advanced Research division (it’s “responsible for creating AI-enabled solutions for Disney+, Star+, and ESPN+,” per the listing) will use AI to “work on advanced personalization efforts involving digital avatars.”

In total, THR spotted some half-dozen AI-focused jobs at Disney. But the company is far from alone in exploring the space.

Netflix made some headlines after The Intercept noticed an AI Product Manager job that promises compensation of up to $900,000.

“Our business is driven by Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence, which fuels innovation in content creation and acquisition, personalization, payment processing, and other revenue-centric initiatives,” the company writes in the listing.

But Netflix has a number of job openings focused on AI and machine learning, dealing with video games, research, R&D, customer experiences and other areas.

In fact, nearly every studio owner seems to be thinking about AI, whether it’s for content, customer service, data analysis or other uses.

Amazon and Apple, of course, have dozens and dozens of AI and ML jobs open. But some of those jobs appear specifically geared to their media businesses, like an Amazon job for a senior project manager for Prime Video.

“Want to define the next big thing in localizing content, enhancing content, or making it accessible using state-of-the-art Generative AI and Computer Vision tech? This is for you!” the listing blares, promising a base salary of up to $300,000.

And at Sony, which owns Sony Pictures Entertainment, its “Sony AI America” division is looking for an AI “Ethics” engineer.

“We believe in researching and developing AI techniques that empower the imagination and creativity of artists, makers and creators around the world,” the listing writes. “Our aim is to advance AI so that it augments — and works in harmony with — humans to benefit society.”

Sony AI, the company notes, “works closely with Sony’s other business units, including Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC., Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., and Sony Music Entertainment.” The job pays a base salary of up to $160,000 (ethics, it seems, isn’t as lucrative as some other areas).

And the list goes on. Warner Bros. Discovery has a few AI and ML jobs open, in its video game division and in corporate; Paramount has an opening for a machine learning engineer in its CBS division; and NBCUniversal owner Comcast has a number of AI and ML jobs, focused on research, customer service and other areas.

And the hiring comes amid a larger job pullback at many of these companies. Disney just finished laying off some 7,000 employees, and Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery, Amazon and others have had painful cuts in recent months. But jobs focused on AI appear to be an exception.

Of course, the investment in AI should come as no surprise. The technology has taken all of corporate America by storm, and media companies are no exception when it comes to trend-hunting. But the role AI can play in the future of entertainment has caused much anxiety among the workers responsible for that content.

“It’s like, you’ve got a house and you need to redo the kitchen, you really need to redo the bathroom, the master bedroom hasn’t been redone for 40 years, you want to do all these things,” writer, director and former actress Justine Bateman told THR’s TV Top 5 podcast earlier this month. “But AI is the front door. And you can get all of these things from the AMPTP, but if you don’t get those strong restrictions on AI, you’ve just given them the key to the front door, and none of those other gains will matter.”

It’s also an area Iger, the strike’s villain of the moment, is well aware of. In his first town hall after returning as Disney CEO last November, an employee asked Iger about how the company plans to adapt to fast-moving technologies, referencing generative AI tech that was just becoming mainstream.

“Nothing is going to stop technological advancement,” he replied, adding that Disney has typically embraced new technology to tell better stories. Generative AI tech, Iger added, is “something that at some point in the future the company will embrace.”

The AI arms race may be in the early stages, but the entertainment giants are all in the mix. And regardless of the deal they cut with the unions, AI appears poised to become a part of that future.

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