The programming laid bare a tension running through Hollywood and the broader creative sector: whether AI represents a tool that expands who can tell stories or a threat to the livelihoods of the artists whose work the technology draws from.

LAS VEGAS — Entertainment industry leaders gathered at CES 2026 this week to debate artificial intelligence’s expanding role in filmmaking, advertising and the creator economy, with more than 25 panels devoted to the intersection of technology and storytelling. Actor and filmmaker Joseph Gordon-Levitt used the Las Vegas stage Wednesday to warn against what he called the passive theft of copyrighted creative works by AI companies, while studio executives and AI tool developers argued the technology can broaden access to storytelling rather than diminish it.

The programming, which included Variety’s Entertainment Summit featuring panels with leaders from Netflix, Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery, laid bare a tension running through Hollywood and the broader creative sector: whether AI represents a tool that expands who can tell stories or a threat to the livelihoods of the artists whose work the technology draws from.

Gordon-Levitt, who recently announced the creation of an organization called the Creators Coalition on AI, focused his remarks at the Variety summit on training data practices that AI companies use, which draw from movies, books and other creative works without the consent from or compensation to copyright holders.

“We all kind of need to get on the same page and agree, ‘No let’s not forgive that passive theft,’” he said. “Whether it takes a year or five years or more, eventually we are going to arrive at the conclusion that this principle is important — that people deserve to be paid for their work, and at that time, we’re going to go back and we’re gonna get recourse for all the stuff that was stolen.”

Gordon-Levitt co-wrote and is directing an upcoming Netflix thriller about AI, and said he remains optimistic the industry can chart a better course.

“I’m actually really optimistic and excited about the technology, but the business incentives driving some of the biggest AI companies, I think, could be leading us down a pretty dark path,” he said. “If we talk about it and we understand it, I don’t think we have to go down that dark path. There’s still time to go down something much brighter.”

Industry voices on AI as a creative tool

Other speakers throughout the week’s programming drew a parallel between current anxiety over AI and resistance that greeted earlier waves of creative technology.

“When we launched Photoshop in the ’90s, we were also getting pretty angry phone calls from creatives saying that we were destroying craft,” said Hannah Elsakr, Adobe’s vice president of generative AI new business ventures, at a Monday session focused on advertising. “Think of AI as another tool in the tool kit to make you drive that forward.”

Dwayne Koh, head of creative at Leonardo.ai, said at a separate Monday session that AI-enabled tools have lowered the barrier to entry for aspiring storytellers.

“The tools that we create have unlocked something in us. It’s kind of flattened that bar in terms of what storytelling can be because anyone now can be a storyteller,” Koh said. “It levels the playing field, but it also makes it easier for people to tell stories that they always want to tell that they never could have the opportunity to tell.”

Creator economy and traditional Hollywood

Several sessions focused on the legitimacy of internet-native creators within the traditional entertainment industry. Brad Haugen, executive vice president of digital strategy and growth at Lionsgate and 3 Arts, said studios should recognize the creative potential of digital creators.

“We have, potentially, the next great filmmaker, the next great TV showrunner, the next great digital entrepreneur,” Haugen said. “Creators are not just there to market products. They’re not just there to do internet stuff. They’re actually the next Spike Jonze and the next Sofia Coppola.”

Background and industry context

Artificial intelligence has been a source of friction in Hollywood for several years. Outrage followed the debut of Tilly Norwood — reported as an entirely AI-made character — who appeared as what was described as the first “AI actor” in the fall. Questions about the use of copyrighted characters, images and materials in AI training remain unresolved.

On the consumer side, Amazon announced the rollout of Alexa.com during the show, bringing its AI assistant to the web with features including personalized movie and TV recommendations.