Lionsgate is leaning into AI, hiring Kathleen Grace to serve as its first-ever Chief AI Officer.
In this new role, Grace will lead the studio’s AI strategy and execution. Lionsgate says her duties will include providing “tools to serve the creative vision of its filmmakers, create opportunities for new efficiencies in its production, marketing, distribution and administrative operations, and spearhead initiatives to protect the IP of the studio and its talent partners.” Grace will report to Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer and will be part of the company’s senior decision-making team.
“Kathleen understands the AI ecosystem from the perspective of creators and IP holders alike, and she is the right person to lead our team forward in this exciting, complex and nuanced environment,” Feltheimer said. “Her AI expertise and digital media savvy will help us grow alongside our talent partners as we create new opportunities, establish new safeguards, and execute new strategies.”
Grace previously served as chief strategy officer at AI company Vermillio, described as the first AI platform built to license and protect IP and likeness. At Vermillio, Grace dealt with AI protection and rights management and was responsible for ensuring that content owners and talent were able to track, authenticate and be compensated for the use of their work in AI models.
“We’re proud to see Kathleen step into a pioneering role as the first Chief AI Officer at a Hollywood studio,” said Dan Neely, co-founder and CEO of Vermillio. “She’s been a valued part of Vermillio’s growth and we’re excited to see her use her experience to help shape the future of AI in Hollywood.”
Grace previously headed New Form, a digital studio backed by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Discovery Communications. There, she developed more than 40 pilots and sold nearly 25 series to networks and platforms including TBS, go90, Freeform, Quibi and Refinery29. She also spearheaded YouTube’s global Spaces initiative, establishing creator studios in Los Angeles, New York, London, and Tokyo.
“I’m very excited to become part of the team at Lionsgate. They have amazing creative partners, a rich and diverse portfolio of IP, an entrepreneurial and forward-looking culture, and a willingness to adapt to and embrace new technologies,” said Grace. “I look forward to collaborating with their team of executives focused on the AI space, supporting initiatives already underway while taking their AI strategy to the next level in its ability to expand the creative palette for their storytellers.”
Lionsgate, the film and TV studio behind film franchises including “John Wick” and “The Hunger Games,” has been bullish on AI. In 2024, the company announced a deal to train an AI model on the company’s library of content, which the studio would then use to develop new material.
“We continue to find exciting new use cases as we apply AI to more areas of our business, increasing our productivity, generating cost savings and expanding our creative tool kit,” Feltheimer said during a recent earnings call with analysts. He stressed that he was only in favor of AI if “appropriate guardrails are established.”