Production company Fremantle launches AI-focused studio to ‘drive innovation’

The production company behind Poor Things and Priscilla has launched an artificial intelligence (AI) focused label.

Fremantle’s Imaginae Studios will operate as an independent brand and use AI for “pushing production boundaries and driving innovation”.

The launch has been described as a “milestone” by the company, which says it will use the new studio to deliver “cutting-edge, high-quality entertainment to audiences worldwide”.

Andrea Scrosati, Fremantle’s chief executive for Europe, said: “Our mission is, and will always be, to give creatives the best tools and the best support to deliver incredible content for audiences globally.

“AI offers incredible new opportunities to transform ideas into images, video, sound and art.

“The mission of Imaginae Studios will be exactly that – to serve as a bridge between extraordinary human creativity and cutting-edge technology, fostering a creative sanctuary where innovation meets experimentation.

“We believe that behind every powerful AI tool, there must be a brilliant creative mind guiding its potential.”

The use of AI within the creative industries has been contentious with ethical concerns raised around copyright regulations and the use of intellectual property.

In the UK, the performing arts workers union, Equity, has been calling for greater protections in the UK with their campaign Stop AI Stealing The Show.

In December, the Culture, Media and Sport Committee looked into British film and high-end television as part of an inquiry to explore issues around the rise of AI within the industry.

Fremantle produces and distributes films, such as Poor Things and Priscilla, which were produced through its Element Pictures and The Apartment Pictures brands respectively, and TV shows for channels such as ITV, BBC and Channel 4, its work includes The Apprentice, Britain’s Got Talent and QI.