Autodesks Nikola Todorovic Urges Filmmakers to Shape AI, Not Fear It, at Cannes

At the 79th Cannes Film Festival, the focus on artificial intelligence (AI) shifted from a simple “is it allowed on set?” debate to questions about who builds the tools and whose interests they serve. Two panels at the Marché du film and a feature in The Hollywood Reporter highlighted Autodesk’s co‑founder Nikola Todorovic, a 2026 honoree on the magazine’s AI 25 list.

Todorovic, who co‑founded Wonder Dynamics in 2016 with actor Tye Sheridan, has spent the past decade arguing that the creative community must lead AI development. He explained that while anxiety about AI is understandable, ignoring the technology is riskier. “AI represents a structural change in how films get made, just as sound, color and digital effects did before,” he said. He urged filmmakers to educate themselves, separate flashy demos from real workflow capabilities, and understand what AI can and cannot do.

Wonder Dynamics was acquired by Autodesk on 21 May 2024. The company’s flagship product, formerly Wonder Studio, was rebranded as Autodesk Flow Studio. Flow Studio is a cloud‑based, AI‑powered 3‑D toolset that converts live‑action footage into fully controllable CG scenes. According to Autodesk, the platform automates the most technically demanding parts of visual effects—motion capture, compositing and lighting—while keeping the director, cinematographer and VFX artist in control.

In practice, studios that have adopted Flow Studio report a dramatic increase in output. Some teams have moved from producing roughly 30 seconds of finished work per day to 3½ minutes, and small crews of five to seven people are now able to tackle projects that once required larger departments. Todorovic emphasized that speed is not the sole goal; the technology expands access to storytelling.

Cost savings are a key driver of the conversation. Morgan Stanley analysts estimate that generative AI could cut film and television production costs by as much as 30 percent. A director speaking at Cannes noted that the right AI tools could halve a visual‑effects budget and shave months off a schedule. For independent filmmakers and emerging studios, these efficiencies could make projects that were previously unaffordable viable.

Todorovic also framed the discussion in historical terms. He pointed out that Hollywood was founded by producers who escaped the Edison Trust’s monopoly on motion‑picture cameras. “Storytelling should belong to everyone, not to whoever controls the machine,” he said. If artists do not help build AI systems, the industry risks inheriting tools designed around external priorities.

Autodesk’s Flow Studio is built with that principle in mind. The platform lets creators generate, rig, style and direct AI characters while maintaining artist control. It is designed to integrate with existing studio pipelines rather than replace them.

The Cannes panels and accompanying articles underscored that AI’s role in filmmaking is not to replace human creativity but to augment it. Todorovic’s message was clear: filmmakers must engage with AI, learn its capabilities, and shape its evolution to ensure that the technology serves the art, not the other way around.

As the industry continues to explore AI tools, the conversation at Cannes signals a shift toward collaborative development and cost‑effective production. Autodesk’s acquisition of Wonder Dynamics and the rollout of Flow Studio represent concrete steps toward that future.