David Ellison Says AI Could Outsize CGI’s Impact on Filmmaking

What changed

Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison said AI could have a bigger impact on filmmaking than CGI. During the company’s latest earnings call, he called it “the biggest creative unlock in modern history” while discussing Paramount Skydance’s outlook for the technology.

Why it matters

That comparison raises the stakes, but it does not yet describe a product, production plan or spending commitment. It is an executive forecast about AI’s potential, not a demonstrated change in how Paramount Skydance makes films.

The useful test now is whether the company turns that ambition into specific creative tools or production practices. Until then, “bigger than CGI” is a striking benchmark, but still only a promise about the future of filmmaking.