Hollywood’s A.I. Moment

18 January 2026 · 37m

The Daily

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Show notes

There’s a lot of anxiety about artificial intelligence invading Hollywood; the general mood there right now could be called “doom and gloom.” But speculation about a future where A.I. actors perform A.I. scripts in A.I.-generated movies often obscures the role A.I. is currently playing in the industry.

In this episode, the host Michael Barbaro talks with the Hollywood reporter Brooks Barnes and the movie critic Alissa Wilkinson about the ways that A.I. is already showing up in our movies and television today, and how they see it contributing to — and complicating — the future.

On Today’s Episode:

Alissa Wilkinson is a Times movie critic.

Brooks Barnes is the chief Hollywood correspondent for The Times.

Background Reading:

Can You Believe the Documentary You’re Watching?

Disney Agrees to Bring Its Characters to OpenAI’s Sora Videos

‘The Wizard of Oz’ Is Getting an A.I. Glow-Up. Cue the Pitchforks.

Is ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at Sphere the Future of Cinema? Or the End of It?

Photo: Roger Kisby for The New York Times

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