Google Wants Hollywood to Stop Being So Afraid of Technology

More and more, Hollywood depicts technology as a countdown to catastrophe.

Google would like Hollywood to consider another possibility: What if the technological future isn’t terrifying at all?

Consider “Sweetwater,” a short film starring Kyra Sedgwick that has been playing at festivals. It depicts artificial intelligence as a source of comfort and connection: Ms. Sedgwick plays the A.I. hologram of a dead movie star who appears to her grieving son. Google commissioned the film with Range Media Partners, and A.I. researchers at Google advised on how the digital ghost might plausibly function.

“Sweetwater” is part of 100 Zeros, a new partnership between Google and Range that gives the tech giant a foothold in Hollywood’s artistic ranks. The venture, which operates separately from Google-owned YouTube, has three ambitions: Shape how technology — particularly Google technology — appears onscreen; experiment with emerging forms of entertainment; and build relationships with talent.

An ambitious slate of microdramas is designed to do all three. Made for phones and unfolding in short, serialized episodes, the shows will begin rolling out on the Google TV streaming app in December. They’re a testing ground for A.I. production tools and other Google technology. And the microdramas put Google in business with marquee producers and actors, relationships that it hopes will extend well beyond the shows themselves.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/30/business/media/google-hollywood-krya-sedgwick.html