Our Adorable AI Overlords

PRESENTED BY GROUNDFLOOR

Happy Monday, Future Party. Ever since President Trump decreed that “artificial intelligence” would now be called “super intelligence” in all official US communications, the “si” website domain has become a hot commodity. Funny enough, that domain is most associated with the country of Slovenia, which is now contending with a 2,199% increase in .si domain name purchases over the past month, according to Registry SI, the official organization that manages Slovenia’s domains. Who knew the Central European country would suddenly become one of the hottest economies for AI (sorry, SI) branding?

Super producer and former Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy has become Hollywood’s leading force in shaping how AI should and shouldn’t be adopted across the film-and-TV-making pipeline.

The Big Picture: AI is transforming Hollywood — especially when it comes to pre-production and post-production. Understanding how to integrate the tech while protecting as much human employment as possible is becoming one of the entertainment industry’s most pressing concerns. Kennedy, an industry luminary, knows she has the leadership and reputation to make a difference.

Behind The Scenes: Kennedy has been guiding the conversation around AI for the past five years… and those discussions have since evolved into a dedicated group creating industry-wide guidelines, according to Bloomberg.

Last Call: Kennedy shared with Bloomberg that she believes AI is already having a profound effect on the special-effects industry and entry-level work at studios, agencies, and production companies. The goal is figuring out how to do this ethically, which is why these tools need to be developed with filmmakers in the loop. Case in point: Ben Affleck used his AI startup (which he sold to Netflix) while making his new movie, Animals, using proprietary assets to train the models.

It might be the only path forward that keeps every stakeholder happy.

Coming Soon: Expect Kennedy’s group to come up with a game plan for guiding the next generation of entertainment workers in the age of AI — a potentially crucial text for universities to work into their curricula.

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Meta, OpenAI, and, to a lesser extent, Anthropic are all leaning on cuddly mascots to sell their consumer-facing AI agents.

Why It Hits: Plenty has been said about the possible catastrophic outcomes of the race to create the most powerful AI systems. To combat those narratives, AI companies are turning to one of the most tried-and-tested marketing plays in the book — mascots aesthetically designed to make you go “awww.”

Behind The Code: It’s hard to think about AI-driven doom when looking at a cute cartoon character.

Final Generation: Both Meta and OpenAI have said that Muse and the various Dots will respectively start to appear in their companies’ wider marketing campaigns (Clawd has yet to appear in any of Anthropic’s consumer-facing marketing). That’s a big bet on these cuddly creatures to sell AI to the masses, considering the top AI companies have collectively spent $936 million on marketing in the US over the past three years… with over half of that spent just this year.

That makes sense, considering what veteran branding consultant Allen Adamson told WSJ: “It’s easier to trust something friendly.”

The Future: Prepare for each of these characters to become the heroes of an AI-driven choose-your-own-adventure game in the near future — a playground for testing the emerging capabilities of their systems.

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34.4% of you voted Neutral — they don’t really affect how I see a brand in Friday’s poll: How do you feel about brand collaborations these days?

“I usually find them interesting, but they rarely convince me to buy something.”

“Frankensteining everything doesn’t necessarily make for an interesting product. Much of it is just generative rather than innovative.”

“I just don’t see the point in Wrangler jeans and Jif peanut butter. Can’t wear it, can’t eat it. Do what you do, and do it on your own!”

“I specifically avoid the products that are collaborations.”

“In the future, brand collaboration means absolutely nothing compared to real-world problems.”

Let’s keep the conversation going. Join Poll Of The Day, so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.

🍿 The combined company of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery will be called… drumroll, please… Skydance.

📰 A district judge dismissed Penske Media’s lawsuit against Google over its AI Overviews, ruling that the issues raised by the case are for Congress to address.

🎥 Showrunner Peter Lenkov (Magnum P.I., Hawaii Five-0) launched a website to connect out-of-work Hollywood professionals with employers.

🚨 Robotaxi companies in California will face fines if their vehicles block first responders during an emergency for more than 30 minutes.

🚗 EV sales — especially for Tesla and Rivian — are showing signs of a rebound as gas prices rise.

🔋 California passed a law requiring data centers to cover the costs of grid upgrades needed to power them.

👟 Nike announced that it’ll scale back Air Jordan Retro drops.

👕 Eminem is collabing with NERDS Clothing on a limited-edition apparel collection and video game launching around New York Comic Con.

🏀 The Miami Heat are swapping “Miami” for “Vice City” for their November 18 game. Yes, it’s to promote GTA VI.