Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison Bets the Studio's Future on AI as Core Infrastructure

David Ellison wants Paramount Skydance to be something Hollywood hasn't seen before: a media company that treats artificial intelligence not as an experiment, but as the backbone of its operations. Since taking over after Skydance's merger with Paramount Global, Ellison has pushed a clear message to employees: win on content by becoming the most technologically capable studio in the business.

Internal meetings reveal the scope of the shift. According to recordings obtained by Business Insider, executives described how tools like Anthropic's Claude now handle tasks that once ate up entire afternoons. One project that used to take several hours is completed in under 10 minutes. The productivity gains show up across streaming operations, from engineering teams to content recommendation systems.

Ellison isn't stopping at faster workflows. He recently elevated Jason Kim to oversee data across the entire company, breaking down silos that kept information trapped inside individual divisions. The studio also hired Barak Turovsky, a seven-year Google veteran who led AI language products, to head consumer AI. Product chief Dane Glasgow told tech staff the hire would accelerate growth.

The strategy extends to infrastructure. Ellison is merging three separate streaming tech stacks into one and consolidating cloud services. Roughly 80 percent of the engineering organization already uses AI code assistance, according to earnings transcripts. Applications that once took weeks to develop now reach testing in days.

Critics wonder whether this focus on technology distracts from creative risks, but Ellison sees AI as a tool for better storytelling, faster scripting, and smarter recommendations that keep subscribers watching. The bet comes as the company eyes a potential takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, a move that would test whether AI-driven efficiency can reduce debt on a combined balance sheet approaching $80 billion.

For now, the early signals are promising. Quarterly updates show production gains and lower costs in certain engineering categories. Ellison's team calls 2026 a rebuild year with better cost management ahead. The industry is watching to see whether this tech-first approach delivers lasting advantage or merely temporary boosts.

Source: Webpronews