BERLIN – One of the imminent challenges facing producers regards artificial intelligence: deciding whether, and how, to integrate AI into their work. How can it help in pre- and post-production with the visual generation of content? How to prepare for an era where intellectual property is adaptable and can be continually reconfigured? The burning topic was discussed at the European Film Market in the "The Big Picture 2026: New Industry Trends and Shifts" session which analyzed the key trends and shifts reshaping the audiovisual sector to reflect on how to transform a frightening change into a strategic advantage. The real focus of the discussion revealed that the question is no longer whether AI will transform cinema, but rather what rules it will follow.
Two producers in the forefront of experimentation with artificial intelligence brought their daily experience, with examples of ongoing experimentation and application, to the debate. Katharina Gellein Viken, CEO of Metrotone, a British film studio specializing in artificial intelligence, and Gregor Sauter, head of emerging content at Saxonia Media's RED PONY division, immediately clarified a key point: artificial intelligence is not a miraculous shortcut for reducing costs by replacing professionals such as screenwriters or creatives. On the contrary, integration of AI requires structural investment, special skills and a reworking of production workflows.
Metrotone, explained Viken, chose to become "AI native" several years ago, while maintaining fully human writing and idea generation. The company uses language models downstream for research and organizational support, and visual generative tools are used in the development phases to accelerate prototyping. The goal, however, is not to automate an idea, but rather to test it more quickly and reduce market risks. Meanwhile, RED PONY has launched an internal applied AI study, still in beta, analyzing the pacing, structure, and engagement potential of projects, particularly in micro-drama. This workflow support accelerates the development of ideas, facilitates the pitching and testing phase, and maintains writer centrality. "The fundamental value is acceleration", summarized Sauter, stressing that creative control must remain in human hands.
Another change analyzed was the development of vertical micro-drama: one- to three-minute episodes designed for smartphones and social platforms, often supported by freemium models and microtransactions. This ecosystem has already found solid markets in Asia and is now ambitiously looking to Europe and English-speaking territories.
Metrotone’s Raynmaker project is an example of an IP designed to be adaptable from the outset: vertical micro-series, horizontal format films and further narrative extensions within the same universe. Planning for this kind of flexibility at the development stage avoids costly compromises and maximizes opportunities for exploitation. RED PONY, meanwhile, has chosen to focus exclusively on the native vertical for some projects, in line with its distribution platforms and monetization models. In this context, revenue-sharing agreements and strategic partnerships are crucial, and access to platform data is a key element.
The concept of "liquid IP", intellectual property designed to move fluidly across formats and platforms, summarized much of the discussion. Intellectual property is no longer conceived as a single product—a film, a series—but as a narrative universe unfolding across different media: audiovisual, music, graphic novels, short-form content. For some producers, this logic is integrated from the very beginning; for others, it emerges gradually, including through experimentation with vertical extensions of already established IP.
Overall, the discussions highlighted the radical transformation of the producer’s role: once a creative developer and financial intermediary, now also a designer of technological workflows, data and platform dynamics analyst, multiplatform strategist, and guarantor of authorial identity in an automated context. The challenge right now is not deciding whether or not to adopt artificial intelligence or explore new narrative forms, but understanding how to integrate these innovations coherently, sustainably, and creatively into the audiovisual production process.