At the Variety Entertainment & Technology Summit presented by EY in Beverly Hills, entertainment and technology executives gathered to address misconceptions surrounding artificial intelligence and define its practical applications within the media landscape. Held on September 17, 2026, the panel titled “Entertainment and Media in the Age of AI” featured leaders from major companies including Netflix, Lionsgate, Hasbro, Teads, and Adobe.
Mira Lane, Google’s vice president of technology and society, opened the discussion by suggesting that the term “AI” has become overloaded. “I think the word ‘AI’ is doing too much right now,” Lane said. “One of the things that we’re doing, especially with the industry, is figuring out, well, what does AI mean in the industry? How do you break it down?”
The conversation, moderated by Variety business editor Todd Spangler, focused on establishing clear frameworks for how creators can utilize these technologies. Girish Balakrishnan, senior director of creative innovation at Netflix, highlighted the streamer’s transparent approach to AI in its production pipeline. He noted that the company has publicly disclosed its use of generative AI across approximately 300 programs this year, a strategy designed to build trust with the creative community and provide a clear pathway for meaningful use cases.
Complementing industry efforts, a paper led by Kathleen Kennedy and the American Film Institute, titled “Human Generative Workflows,” was published last month. Lane contributed to this document, which aims to categorize different AI applications—from de-noising techniques to fully synthetic characters—to help productions meet copyright requirements. “Let’s start thinking about the vocabulary and breaking it down so it’s not just AI as one big monolithic,” she explained.
Meagan Keane, head of business strategy for Pro Video at Adobe, echoed the need for differentiation. She described Adobe’s method of categorizing tools into “assistive,” “corrective,” and “generative” functions. Keane observed that because much of AI integration is now subtle and functional, many users are unaware they are utilizing the technology.
Intellectual property protection remained a central theme. Annaka Vasquez, senior vice president of sales at Teads, emphasized that large brands apply rigorous scrutiny to how their assets are used in AI-generated creative work. “[Companies] are very careful about how we use those creative assets to maintain the integrity of the brand,” Vasquez said, noting the importance of establishing clear guardrails.
Bertie Thomson, head of Hasbro’s AI-focused studio Sixth Wall, provided examples of how the company manages licensed characters like Cobra Commander and Optimus Prime. Using ElevenLabs-backed AI replicas, Hasbro creates authorized versions of its characters for interactive experiences. Thomson warned that unauthorized clips of these characters can pose risks to the brand, whereas authorized AI versions offer protective value for both the intellectual property owners and the actors portraying them.
Despite these advancements, panelists acknowledged that public perception of AI often lags behind reality. Lane pointed out that creating premium television and film involves complex processes far removed from simple text prompts. “They don’t understand that… the technology you have to use there is more complex than just prompting,” she said, adding that the goal is to help creators tell better stories, not to replace the creative process.
Balakrishnan shared that filmmakers at Netflix are increasingly focused on solving specific creative problems rather than debating whether to adopt AI. “Filmmakers aren’t asking, ‘Do I want to use AI or not?’ They’re looking to solve meaningful creative problems,” he stated.
Kathleen Grace, Lionsgate’s chief AI officer, sees the democratization of these tools as a way to discover new talent. Citing the company’s diverse slate, including titles like “Housemaid,” “Michael,” and “Sunrise [on the Reaping],” Grace expressed enthusiasm about finding storytellers from varied backgrounds who can leverage accessible technology to bring their visions to life.
Glad filmmakers are focusing on solving problems, not debating adoption. Practical tools beat ideological arguments every time.
Hasbro using authorized AI replicas for characters is smart. It protects IP while giving fans new ways to interact.
Netflix disclosed 300 programs? That sounds like a lot for ‘subtle’ assistance. Are they hiding how central it really is?
Finally, someone admits the term ‘AI’ is too broad. Breaking it down helps creators understand actual utility versus hype.