AI taking over Hollywood? Lisa Kudrow makes a blunt prediction

On stage at Variety’s invite-only A Night in the Writers’ Room: Awards Season Edition in Los Angeles, Lisa Kudrow listened to the familiar pitch about AI cutting costs and trimming crews — and pushed back. Fresh off a season of The Comeback that put her character, Valerie Cherish, inside TV’s first AI-written sitcom, she said the cost-saving fantasy doesn’t line up with how shows actually get made.

“They’re going to try every way to make things less expensive and with fewer people,” she said, “but I don’t think they will be able to.”

Kudrow wasn’t speaking as an outsider. She co-created The Comeback with Michael Patrick King and served as a writer and executive producer, and that final season — centered on an AI-driven sitcom — earned her two 2026 Emmy nominations. She shared her view during the event’s Comedy Series panel.

Where studios stand on AI

While Kudrow is skeptical that AI can replace people, seven major companies have already rolled out or tested high-profile AI efforts this past year:

• Walt Disney Studios — Signed an OpenAI deal tied to Sora in late 2025, with a reported $1 billion equity investment and access to 200+ characters; that partnership is reportedly shutting down.
• Amazon MGM Studios — Launched a multimillion-dollar GenAI Creators’ Fund in May 2026.
• Netflix — Used generative AI on an effects sequence in The Eternaut, finishing nearly 10x faster, and then acquired InterPositive, founded by Ben Affleck.
• Fox Entertainment — Took a stake in HOLYWATER in 2025 and pledged 200+ vertical titles over two years.
• Warner Bros. Discovery — Cut caption production time by nearly 80%.
• Lionsgate — Partnered with Runway in September 2024 on a custom model.
• Paramount Advertising — Teamed with Waymark on AI ad tools.

Kudrow’s comments came during the Comedy Series panel at Variety’s A Night in the Writers’ Room: Awards Season Edition, held for Emmy voters in Los Angeles on November 11, 2026.