Moderated by Variety business editor Todd Spangler, the "Entertainment and Media in the Age of AI" panel brought together diverse voices from across the tech and content spectrum, including Mira Lane (Google), Girish Balakrishnan (Netflix), Kathleen Grace (Lionsgate), Bertie Thomson (Hasbro), Annaka Vasquez (Teads), and Meagan Keane (Adobe). Their collective message: the term "AI" has become overly broad, obscuring the specific, beneficial ways the technology can be deployed.

"I think the word ‘AI’ is doing too much right now," stated Mira Lane, Google’s VP of Technology and Society, highlighting the industry's push to break down AI into digestible, functional components. Adobe, for instance, categorizes its AI tools into "assistive," "corrective," and "generative" functions, helping users understand their specific applications and move past the misconception that AI is solely about creating content from scratch.

Central to the discussion was building trust with the creative community and establishing clear frameworks for AI integration. Netflix's senior director of creative innovation, Girish Balakrishnan, pointed to the streamer's public framework for using generative AI in approximately 300 programs, a model he believes fosters confidence and guides creators toward meaningful use cases. Similarly, the Kathleen Kennedy and American Film Institute-led "Human Generative Workflows" paper, which Lane helped develop, aims to clarify use cases, particularly in areas like copyrightability, a crucial but often elusive goal for AI-backed productions.

Protecting intellectual property and brand integrity also emerged as a significant concern. Companies like Hasbro, through its Sixth Wall studio, are developing proprietary guardrails for AI replicas of beloved characters such as Optimus Prime and Cobra Commander, ensuring authorized, brand-safe interactive experiences. Bertie Thomson, head of Sixth Wall, explained, "Whereas working on the authorized AI version of the character means that, for these actors, it has a protective value for them too, and also for us as IP owners." This approach contrasts sharply with unauthorized AI manipulations, offering a secure path forward for character licensing.

Ultimately, the executives stressed that AI should serve as a powerful tool to enhance creativity, streamline production, and democratize storytelling, rather than replace human ingenuity. "Filmmakers aren’t asking, ‘Do I want to use AI or not?’ They’re looking to solve meaningful creative problems that they’re faced with on their shows," noted Balakrishnan. Lionsgate's Chief AI Officer, Kathleen Grace, echoed this sentiment, envisioning a future where AI tools make it easier to discover and empower a wider range of talented filmmakers, bringing diverse new stories to life.