Amazon MGM Studios creates an AI fund and commissions three animated series for Prime Video

Amazon MGM Studios launches the GenAI Creators Fund with AWS to produce three Prime Video animated series using its exclusive Project Nara AI platform.

Amazon MGM Studios is launching the 'GenAI Creators Fund', a program that combines funding and access to AI production tools for filmmakers, digital creators, and startups, to develop series and films for Prime Video. The studio is partnering with AWS to offer what it presents as the first AI production platform designed specifically for visual storytelling.

Three animated series have already been greenlit: Punky Duck, by Jorge R. Gutierrez (director of The Book of Life), Love, Diana Music Hunters, led by Albie Hecht at pocket.watch, and Cupcake & Friends, developed by BuzzFeed Studios. No release dates have been set. Recipients first produce pilots or shorts serving as proof of concept, with the studio then deciding which ones will proceed to full production. All these projects, including a live-action short, utilize actors and human voices.

The platform, named Project Nara, remains exclusive to the fund's recipients. Presented as a collaborative workspace, it connects AI production agents with software already used by teams, from Maya to Blender, including Nuke, Unreal Engine, and the Adobe suite. Its architecture blends the best third-party video models with in-house models, and incorporates provenance tracking intended to protect intellectual property.

Regarding its promises, management cites reduced costs and shortened timelines: the first three partners had five weeks to deliver their pilots. Directors can also visualize a scene before filming and adjust their choices in advance. The firm emphasizes one point: its tools remain “human-centric.”