🧠 AI in the Film Industry: From Overblown Expectations to Hybrid Production

The panel featured Main Road Post VFX supervisor Alexander Lipilin, 1-2-3 Production head of post-production Ivan Ostroukhov, Benetone Films producer Max Urick, and Ex Machina studio founder Mikhail Aleksandiyants.

The core of the discussion centered on transitioning AI from experimental testing to actual production pipelines. Experts noted that producers are increasingly factoring neural networks into upcoming budgets, aiming to reduce costs and accelerate workflows. In practice, however, generative production currently demands flexible budgeting: given the unpredictability of complex shots, studios must account for the financial risk of manual cleanup and refinement. A hybrid approach is taking root across the industry—using neural networks for initial generation and speeding up early-stage tasks, while relying on traditional VFX techniques for final detailing.

Panelists emphasized that as AI tools become universally accessible, visual effects are losing their status as the primary audience draw. In an environment of global competition and blurring boundaries between local markets, classic storytelling, original concepts, and the human element are reclaiming center stage. While a complete replacement of specialists or actors by neural networks is not anticipated in the near future, AI is already reshaping planning horizons and skill set requirements across the field.