Over the past couple of years, conversation around AI has been virtually inescapable for any part of the economy, but especially in entertainment. The dual strikes of 2023 put the technology under a bright spotlight, and a series of deals in the year since labor peace was achieved offer more clues about how it is reshaping the landscape. This month, at the historic crossroads of Hollywood and Vine, hard by the Capital Records building and the Pantages Theatre, AI talk found a home in the industry’s back yard at Infinity Festival .
Unfolding just hours after the jolt of Election Day, the seventh annual edition of the fest brought together various constituencies from across entertainment and technology trying to orient themselves in a changing world. Co-chaired by Sony Imageworks CTO Mike Ford and production chief Mandy Tankenson, the event welcomed visual effects pioneer Rob Legato; AGBO Chief Scientific Officer Dominic Hughes, a noted AI scholar recently installed in his post by the Russo Bros. after a stint at Apple; and senior execs from Nvidia, HP, Amazon, Epic Games and other companies.
Shōgun co-creators Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks also reflected on how technology enabled their subtitled show without major stars to break through to Emmy-winning success. Deadline was a presenting media sponsor of this year’s festival. The idiosyncratic spirit of Infinity, which for the first time was held at the Aster Hotel, revealed itself in the events that bookended its Nov.
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