George Clooney used his opening press conference at the Venice Film Festival, where he is receiving a Golden Lion for lifetime achievement, to weigh in on Hollywood's biggest current controversies. He defended actor Mark Ruffalo's right to speak out against the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger after the studio branded Ruffalo's comments antisemitic, calling the accusation "ridiculous" and insisting free speech must be protected even when he disagrees with what is said. He also voiced scepticism about the merger itself and warned that artificial intelligence poses a serious threat to jobs across the film industry.

Clooney, 65, said he did not see how the Paramount-WBD deal could go through given the "many issues involved," and expressed concern that big corporate consolidations typically cost large numbers of people their jobs. On AI, he estimated the technology could eliminate roughly 30 percent of industry jobs, particularly affecting roles such as visual effects supervisors, and said Hollywood was "on our back foot" rather than leading on the issue. He also touched on US politics, expressing optimism that November's elections would act as a "check and balance" and criticising Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over a recent controversial social media post.