Google Tries Hollywood Makeover By Funding Films to Soften AI

brett Brett Tabkeon
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On the heals of the super hot Veo 3 release from Google, we dredge up a story most SEO's missed. For years, AI in film has meant one thing: a threat. From HAL 9000 to Skynet, AI has been played as a cold, calculating, ultimately catastrophic evil machine. Now Google is actively trying to rewrite that narrative. Through its new project, "AI on Screen," Google is partnering with Range Media Partners to fund short films that explore more favorable  perspectives on AI.

"That Terminator is out there...It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead!" -Terminator

While this story came out a month ago in Variety, it sounds like there is new movement afoot here.   This effort is not about branding or product placement for Google. Google claims these films are not AI-generated, nor are they designed to sell anything directly. Instead, they aim to influence perception and to steer cultural imagination away from AI as a villain. One film, "Sweetwater," directed by Michael Keaton, tells a story about grief and memory through the lens of a holographic mother. Another, "Lucid," explores connection and escapism through shared dreaming. These are human-first narratives meant to soften the public's wariness about AI's potential role in daily life.

There is no spoon.

Marketers and SEOs should pay attention. Google is not just refining its search algorithm or launching another product. It is shaping the cultural environment that will determine how AI is received and regulated. If public sentiment toward AI shifts, so do the rules of engagement for AI-generated content, ad targeting, and search behavior. As the lines between entertainment, tech, and public trust blur, understanding these shifts becomes part of the job.

For marketers working with AI or adjacent to it, this move signals the very long-game strategy. Expect more and more storytelling that frames AI as a tool for emotional depth, creativity, human connection and not just automation and scale. Whether you are running SEO campaigns or building AI-powered experiences, the message is clear: the story around AI is attempting to be rewritten, and it will shape the way audiences respond to our work.

When you look down some of the AI movie lists, one thing really stands out: humans usually are on the losing end of it's interactions with AI. My top all time AI movies:

Open the Pod Bay Doors Hal

Top AI and Robot Movies All Time

  • 2001: A Space Odyssey - Open the Pod Bay Doors Hal
  • The Matrix - Are we living in a simulation?
  • Demon Seed - Nightmares ensue.
  • Blade Runner - Like tears in the rain.
  • The Terminator -
  • Westworld (1973)
  • Her

TL;DR for SEOs: ChatGPT Summarized it Thusly:

  • Google is funding short films through its "AI on Screen" initiative to reshape AI’s image in pop culture — from villain to companion.
  • No product placement: Google says these films are not ads.
  • Two projects greenlit: “Sweetwater” (directed by Michael Keaton, exploring grief through a holographic mother) and “Lucid” (a shared dream experience between two people).
  • This is narrative warfare: Google is influencing public sentiment, which will indirectly shape SEO rules, ad frameworks, and how AI-generated content is accepted online.
  • SEOs and marketers need to track these changes, as culture now steers regulation, not just tech performance or user behavior.
  • Expect more AI as empathy machine: future storytelling will emphasize emotional, creative, and human-centered uses of AI — not just automation and optimization.
  • This isn't just a shift in media — it's a long-term strategy to normalize AI as a daily presence.
  • Classic AI films still haunt the collective psyche: 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Matrix, Blade Runner, The Terminator — all end badly for humans.
  • TLDR for SEOs: Watch what Google funds, not just what it builds — because perception is policy in disguise.