At Cannes this year, one thing became increasingly clear:
The conversation is no longer AI versus creators.
It's becoming AI plus creators.
Just months after public debates around copyright, training data, and the impact of AI on creative work dominated industry headlines, the tone on the Croisette felt noticeably different. Not because the concerns have disappeared—they haven't—but because the industry is confronting a new reality.
Across Media & Entertainment, the discussion is evolving from whether AI will be part of the future to how it will be adopted responsibly.
Studios, agencies, broadcasters, streamers, publishers, and rights holders are all asking similar questions:
- How do we accelerate workflows without sacrificing creative control?
- How do we protect intellectual property while enabling innovation?
- How do we govern AI access to content?
- How do we maintain provenance, rights, permissions, and compliance at scale?
- How do we ensure creators remain at the center of the process?
Cannes has always been a leading indicator of where our industry is headed. This year, AI wasn't a side conversation—it was woven into nearly every discussion about production, marketing, localization, distribution, audience engagement, and monetization.
The real battleground is no longer AI itself.
It's ownership.
Ownership of content. Ownership of rights. Ownership of metadata. Ownership of the systems that govern how content is accessed, enriched, and monetized.
As AI becomes embedded across the content lifecycle, trusted governance becomes the foundation that enables innovation. Organizations that can securely connect their content, metadata, permissions, and AI workflows will be best positioned to move faster while maintaining control.
That's why we're seeing increasing collaboration across the ecosystem—from media companies and agencies to technology leaders like Box, OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, and others. The opportunity isn't replacing creativity. It's creating a secure, governed foundation that allows creativity and AI to work together.
The future of Media & Entertainment won't be defined by AI alone.
It will be defined by how well we govern, protect, and unlock the value of content in the age of AI.
Looking forward to your comments!
-Jade
