The Hollywood vs AI rematch begins

In this week's edition, we uncover how marketers can build AI-enabled work routines, and discuss Hollywood's case against AI video generators.

Read from your browser The Prompt 🤖 Welcome to The Prompt! Delivered every fortnight, this free newsletter breaks down the biggest stories and trends in AI. Get all our content, including The Prompt, by registering for a Tech in Asia account. Alternatively, sign up here if you just want to receive this newsletter. IN FOCUS How marketing teams can incorporate AI into their work processes How a Singapore-based AI startup bagged US$11 million for simplifying a calendar app Hollywood's newest battle against AI video generators   Hello Betamax As early as 2015, my professors in J-school shared the possibility of AI taking over our jobs. Back then, the prime example was the Associated Press' use of chatbots to write short news about sports. My classmates and I would scoff and say, "Well, for sure AI won't be able to write long features." Oh, how wrong we were. Now we have Google's NotebookLLM, which writes 30-page reports. In this week's The Prompt, we have a PR practitioner - who was also a journalist for two decades - arguing for the use of AI in marketing. It's not for the usual tasks of grammar checking either, but he makes the case for integrating AI in marketers' work processes. The piece makes me think of our newsroom at Tech in Asia, which has also come to embrace AI over the past years. For instance, our product team has developed an AI tool that helps writers and editors double-check the grammar and readability of our stories, and it has become part of our editing process. Our other Big Story this week looks at an AI startup that has created a product for something that many of us have long done: texting ourselves on chat messaging apps for reminders. Apparently, there are millions of people who do this, but this startup has bagged US$11 million in funding to add this obvious feature to an app. Also in this week's Hot Take, we look at how Hollywood could possibly fight the growing use of AI video generators. -- Elyssa   THE BIG STORIES What AI means for modern marketing In this Insights piece, PR and marketing practitioner Darren Boey argues that the future of AI in communications work will not be for simple task-related jobs but for the creation of systems that meld into work routines. Ele.me co-founder snags $11m for AI calendar app Singapore-based AI firm Orion Arm's flagship product is an AI-powered calendar assistant called Toki, which lets users schedule events by texting them on chat apps like WhatsApp or Telegram.   THE HOT TAKE Hollywood's newest battle against AI video generators Here's what happened: Google unveiled the latest version of Veo 3, its AI video generator, in May This June, Midjourney joined the AI video generation craze with this update. The new wave of video creators has been so compelling that social media has been awash with AI videos of reimagined cartoon characters, among other things. Here's our take: There are Disney princesses transformed into zombie hunters, Looney Tunes characters reimagined as "mafia" bosses, stormtroopers filming a vlog, and Wonder Woman turning into a bear. These are just some of the videos that have flooded TikTok in the past month as Google and Midjourney unveiled the latest updates of their AI video generators. Suddenly, people's wildest takes on how their favorite cartoon and pop culture characters have been brought to life. You know what comes next. In June, both Disney and Universal Studios sued Midjourney for copyright infringement. It wasn't even because of its new video generator, but because of its image generator, which was launched in 2022. Why the delay? Experts say Hollywood may have waited until there was enough evidence to show that Midjourney could deliver outputs that would compete with the studios' artists. According to Variety, the lawsuit is also the two companies' way of sending a message to bigger AI firms: We'll see you in court if you mess with our IP. Midjourney, after all, is but a small player (with a valuation of only US$10 billion) compared to OpenAI or Google. But let's take a step back a bit. What can companies really do to protect themselves from the egregious use of their intellectual property in AI-made content? Companies will of course seek damages and ask courts to order social media sites to take down videos. I also expect Disney and Universal, holders of multibillion-dollar intellectual properties, will fight tooth and nail to stop the publication and distribution of videos like this one. (Because why?) But compromises are also on the horizon. The New York Times and the Washington Post have recently signed licensing deals with Amazon, which would allow their content to be used by Alexa when users ask: "What's the top news today?" Located deep into that deal is also language that allows Amazon, which owns AI firm Anthropic, to use this content to train large language models. As a journalist, I was surprised these publishing firms agreed to this. I thought we didn't like plagiarism? But that is the naive J-school student in me talking. The journalism industry, after all, is dying and is in dire need of ways to keep the lights on. But Hollywood bigs like Disney still have leverage. Unlike the journalism industry, Disney is still going strong. They can afford lawyers. But there is a more diplomatic way of doing things. AI critics and academics Gary Marcus and Anka Ruel have both called for the formation of an international body that could police these AI firms and ensure that their products promote "safe and secure" AI. Both Marcus and Ruel floated this idea in 2023, and it hasn't caught on. Or perhaps Hollywood could dabble into AI themselves too. They could build their own Midjourney-esque product and distribute the service themselves. It's not like Disney hasn't had experience in plunging deep into a new industry. They did it with streaming (although their success on this remains debatable). Why not with consumer tech? I could also see Hollywood cutting a deal with a genAI firm like OpenAI, embracing the technology fully, and using the tech for their own production needs. Maybe ChatGPT users could be allowed to play and tinker with Disney's characters (but only for non-profit purposes), much like a Creative Commons license. It would be a good chance to engage the Gen Alpha audience, which it has struggled to connect with. But Hollywood needs to make some decisions, and suing everyone rarely works. The only winners now are the social media users currently monetizing their content with AI-made videos.   DEEP READS Check out these interesting reads about AI: 1️⃣ The global AI divide: An in-depth look at the locations of the data centers juicing up the world's most powerful AI systems and how the countries that have them will leave other nations even further behind. 2️⃣ Why China is giving away its tech for free: An analysis of how China's commitment to open-source AI systems can be a double-edged sword that could hurt its AI industry in the long run. 3️⃣ Reddit vows to stay human to emerge as a winner from artificial intelligence: The social media giant's commitment to "stay human" comes as big brands mull the possibility of getting into Reddit's forums to infiltrate its data. The company, after all, has already signed deals with LLMs, so its data can be used for training.   FYI 1️⃣ Why Taiwan's software startups struggle to match its chip giants Matthew Ryan, a consultant for Taiwanese startups and tech companies, presents the current challenges crippling the country's startup ecosystem – from the shortage of success stories to cultural nuances.   EVENTS HAPPENING You can also check out a curated list of trending tech events over here and Tech in Asia's signature events here. Tech in Asia Conference 2025 | Oct 22–23 – Jakarta 8/10 founders predict tough fundraising in 2025. Meet those navigating it head-on at TIA Conference. Gain strategies to defy expectations and connect with industry leaders. Get tickets today! CTO of the Year Award 2025, powered by AWS – Deadline: Jul 31 CTOs across SEA are stepping up to claim the spotlight—Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam… where's Malaysia? Think you've got what it takes to represent your country on a regional stage? Step up or nominate someone who should here. Applications now open: Singapore's Top Fintech Companies 2026 Tech in Asia and Statista have launched Singapore's Top Fintech Companies 2026 - a definitive list recognizing the players bridging real market gaps, gaining traction, and shaping the future of fintech. We're spotlighting the most innovative and impactful companies in the ecosystem! Applications are now open. Don't miss out! That's it for this edition - we hope you liked it!  Not your cup of tea? You can unsubscribe from this newsletter here. In the meantime, if you have any feedback or ideas, feel free to get in touch with Terence, our editor-in-chief, at terence@techinasia.com. See you soon! P.S. Don't miss out on the biggest tech news and analysis. Add newsletter@techinasia.com to your address book, contacts, or safe sender list. Or simply move us into your inbox. Too many emails? Switch to a different frequency or get new content through our preference center. 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