Russo Brothers’ Studio Taps Former Apple Executive to Lead AI Initiative

Everything Everywhere All At Once film producer AGBO Studios has hired AI veteran Dominic Hughes as its newly created chief scientific officer, the production company said on Thursday.

Hughes will now work with AGBO’s in-house teams to develop its AI capabilities to “enrich the creative process,” the company said.

AGBO was founded by Anthony and Joe Russo, the brothers who directed some of the highest-grossing films in Hollywood's history and are considered legends in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

“At AGBO, we are relentlessly focused on a creative-led approach to technology and innovation,” the Russo Brothers said in a statement. “Working in tandem with our writers, directors, crew members, and technologists, Dr. Hughes will help us imagine new ways to empower artists to tell their boldest and most ambitious stories.”

Before joining AGBO, Hughes, who holds a Ph.D. from Oxford and is an expert in algorithms, machine learning, and AI, led Apple News after Swell, an audio news app he co-founded, was acquired by the technology giant in 2014.

“This is an exciting time to partner with creative visionaries to develop the next generation of filmmaking technology,” Hughes said. “AGBO’s long-standing approach of adopting and adapting technologically advanced filmmaking techniques positions them well for this era of discovery.”

Hughes' appointment comes amid growing industry debate over AI’s role in Hollywood.

Writers Guild of America (WGA) union members, for instance, view Hollywood’s embrace of AI with caution following a 2023 strike where the technology—which some fear could replace writers in the future—played a central role.

“There is clear language in the contract to keep some of this stuff from happening,” WGA member and screenwriter Jamarcus Turner told Decrypt. “But there is nothing prohibiting the studying of these technologies.”

Turner, who previously wrote for CBS's “Bob Hearts Abishola” and served as a captain during the strikes, believes studios are preparing for the next time negotiations between the Writers’ Union and Hollywood studios come.

“If I had to guess, all the studios will continue their research until the next contract,” he said. “They’re setting the table to be at the forefront of this pretty ugly practice once it’s allowed in the future.”

Edited by Sebastian Sinclair