TLDR
- Amazon shares trade around $237 as AI investment expands into entertainment
- Amazon MGM Studios plans AI tools to speed up TV and film production
- Closed beta for industry partners launches in March, results expected by May
- AI aims to cut costs while keeping humans central to creativity
- AWS and multiple AI model providers power the new studio initiative
Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) stock was trading at $237.83, down 0.33%, during early Nasdaq real-time trading as investors digested news of the company’s expanding push into artificial intelligence-driven film and television production.
Amazon.com, Inc., AMZN
The move signals Amazon’s intent to use AI not only as a retail and cloud advantage, but also as a way to reshape Hollywood economics through its Amazon MGM Studios division.
Amazon AI Studio And The Two-Pizza Team Strategy
At the center of this effort is Amazon’s AI Studio, led by veteran entertainment executive Albert Cheng. The unit operates under Jeff Bezos’s well-known “two pizza team” philosophy, keeping teams small, fast, and highly focused. The group is mainly composed of engineers and scientists, supported by a lean creative and business team.
Amazon plans to launch a closed beta of its AI tools in March, inviting select industry partners to test the technology. Early results and feedback are expected by May. Cheng describes the AI Studio as a startup within Amazon MGM Studios, designed to move quickly and experiment without the inertia of traditional Hollywood production pipelines.
Cutting Costs In An Era Of Soaring Budgets
The AI push comes as film and television production budgets continue to climb, limiting how many projects studios can greenlight. According to Cheng, the high cost of creating content makes it harder to take creative risks. Amazon believes AI can help remove some of those financial barriers by speeding up labor-intensive processes and reducing production expenses.
Rather than replacing creatives, Amazon positions AI as a tool that accelerates workflows while preserving the human elements that define storytelling. Writers, directors, actors, and designers are expected to remain involved at every stage, using AI to enhance rather than substitute creative judgment.
Tools Built For Cinematic Precision
One of the core goals of the AI Studio is to bridge what Cheng calls the “last mile” between consumer AI tools and the precision filmmakers need. This includes improving character consistency across multiple shots, refining visual continuity, and integrating smoothly with industry-standard creative software.
Amazon Web Services plays a central role in this effort. The company plans to work with multiple large language model providers, giving creators flexibility in both pre-production and post-production. Protecting intellectual property remains a priority, with safeguards designed to prevent AI-generated content from being absorbed into external models.
Industry Collaboration And Early Use Cases
Amazon is already working with established creatives to shape the tools. Partners include producer Robert Stromberg of “Maleficent,” actor Kunal Nayyar and his company Good Karma Productions, and veteran animator Colin Brady, formerly of Pixar and Industrial Light & Magic.
The studio points to the hit series “House of David” as an early example of AI’s potential. For the show’s second season, director Jon Erwin combined AI-generated elements with live-action footage to create large-scale battle scenes. The result expanded the visual scope of the series while keeping costs under control.
Market Implications For Amazon Stock
Amazon’s public embrace of AI across divisions follows significant corporate restructuring, including roughly 30,000 job cuts since October, some of which affected Prime Video. For investors, the AI Studio represents a long-term bet that efficiency gains can improve margins in a capital-intensive business.
As Amazon stock hovers near record levels, the company’s ability to apply AI beyond cloud computing and e-commerce could strengthen its competitive position in streaming. If successful, AI-driven production may allow Amazon to deliver more content at lower cost, reinforcing Prime Video’s role within the broader Amazon ecosystem.




