Google is getting into the filmmaking business to promote a more positive view of tech – News

Google LLC is teaming up with a talent management company called Range Media Partners on a new film and TV project that aims to improve the public perception of its technology.

According to a report in Business Insider, the two partners are working on an initiative called “100 Zeros” to identify scripted and unscripted projects that they might be willing to help fund and produce.

It’s essentially a marketing effort, with the ultimate aim being to create movies and TV shows that will encourage people to use its technologies, including things like its Immersive Views offering, which provides a 3D worldview in Google Maps, and other extended reality tools.

Google later told News in a statement that 100 Zeros is being led by its Platform & Devices team to “assist the creative community in integrating cutting-edge technologies and platforms into their filmmaking.”

By leveraging the cultural clout of Hollywood, Google also hopes that it might be able to get more people interested in its artificial intelligence offerings, such as its Gemini models. More broadly, the company is trying to promote a more positive opinion of its technologies, which are sometimes criticized for being monopolistic and dystopian.

The 100 Zeroes initiative isn’t a new project. It has already contributed to the creation of an indie horror movie released last year, called “Cuckoo.” Google didn’t seek any publicity through that production, with 100 Zeros’ name only popping up on the credits.

Back in April, Google also announced that it’s working on a second project with Range Media called “AI on Film.” That project is looking to commission a number of short films that explore the relationship between AI and humanity, and will see the companies work together to develop, finance and produce them. Ultimately, the project wants to produce two feature-length adaptations based on the shorts, Google said in a blog post.

In an interview with Variety, Google Senior Director of Technology and Society Mira Lane said the short movies intend to promote a positive view of AI. “Narrative films present an opportunity to explore and showcase the ways we want to coexist with this technology,” she explained.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Lane has now been promoted to Vice President of Technology and Society at Google, and is focused on helping it to “combat a deluge of dystopian narratives” around AI.

Google’s experiment with film and TV productions stems from a realization that it’s not going to be able to win over consumers, or enterprises for that matter, just by building the best new products, analyst Holger Mueller of Constellation Research Inc. said. In addition to developing new technologies, it also has to convince people that using them is in their best interests.

“Product placement in Hollywood movies is not a new marketing technique by any means, but Google seems to be going further by helping to produce content that will carry its message in a way that traditional films do not,” the analyst said. “If this works with consumers, it may also carry over to the enterprise, because enterprise executives are still consumers themselves. It’s good to see Google thinking outside of the box, and many will be watching to see if this effort pays off.”

Google’s partner Range Media was founded in 2022, and is known for its work on films including “A Complete Unknown” and “Longlegs.” Its roster of clients includes the actor Bradley Cooper, the director Michael Bay and the athlete and content creator Illona Maher.

Business Insider stressed that Google is not looking to bring any of 100 Zeros’ productions to YouTube, but instead try to get them distributed on platforms such as Netflix. The company had ventured into original programming with its first YouTube Originals being released in 2016, but has since shut down that project and returned to its original focus on user-generated content.

Image: Google