Business Insider has learned that Google has launched a joint project with the production company Range Media Partners, 100 Zeros, within the framework of which it plans to finance and produce the creation of films and series that will help popularize its products and technologies in general among a young audience, forming a corresponding pop culture.
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Google clarified in a statement that the project is not a new production studio, but rather that the company’s Platforms & Devices team will be collaborating with Range Media.
Google and Range Media have announced a partnership called AI On Screen to produce short films about AI with the goal of eventually developing them into a feature-length film. Here’s how one of the shorts, Sweetwater, is described: “When the son of a late celebrity visits his childhood home, a piece of fan mail reveals a stunning AI, forcing him to come to terms with his mother’s legacy.” “Through our ongoing partnership with Range, we’re committed to collaborating with Hollywood’s creative community in thoughtful and productive ways, while maintaining our ongoing commitment to responsibly supporting creative expression and exploring the possibilities of technology through storytelling,” a Google spokesperson said.
Specifically, Google won’t object if characters in films use Android smartphones instead of iPhones and use their features. The success of the new initiative will be judged by how it influences public opinion about the company’s products and services. Google dominates the global mobile phone market, but is second to Apple in sales in the US. Apple has gained strong support among Generation Z thanks to its luxurious image and blue text bubbles, Business Insider writes. Its smartphones have become ingrained in pop culture, appearing in films like Legacy and Knives Out. According to a Piper Sandler survey conducted in the spring, 88% of US teens use an iPhone. Moreover, young people are increasingly turning to AI or other platforms like Amazon and TikTok for answers to their questions instead of Google search.
Google said it does not plan to use YouTube to distribute 100 Zeros’ output. Instead, it will partner with traditional studios and streaming services like Netflix.
«We’re working with Range to help the creative community integrate advanced technologies and platforms like XR and AI into their filmmaking,” Google told TechCrunch.