Forbes Reports on Utopai Studios’ MIPCOM Cannes 2026 Keynote: Can AI Lower the Cost of Making Films

Event date: October 12, 2026 · Forbes coverage: October 19, 2026

Forbes contributor Maureen Kerr reported from MIPCOM Cannes 2026 on how creators, brands and platforms are changing who pays for entertainment. One section of her article is devoted to Utopai Studios and its case for AI-assisted filmmaking.

According to the report, Cecilia Shen, co-founder and CEO of Utopai Studios, opened the MIP AI Entertainment Forum by arguing that AI should widen what filmmaking can do rather than take filmmakers' place. "The next Hollywood will not be a place. It will be a network," Shen said.

Kerr also met Shen and Chief Operating Officer Kevin Chong in Cannes. Chong traced the company's path from an AI research firm to a studio that handles development, production and distribution, with a pipeline of more than 25 projects assembled in 18 months. Three features and two series are heading into production for release in 2027.

On cost, Chong puts the production time of the studio's AI-assisted animated features at 12 months, against three years for conventional animation, and the budget at roughly one-tenth of a Pixar or DreamWorks film. Forbes cautions that these figures are the company's own estimates, not independently verified and not a like-for-like comparison.

Shen described the approach as hybrid, with human writers, directors and voice casts. Utopai Studios plans theatrical releases before streaming, and Forbes frames the open question as whether an AI-native studio can attract paying cinema audiences.

At the same market, Utopai Studios and Huace unveiled the first teaser for "Journey to the West - The Lost Five Hundred Years." Read the full report at Forbes.