Variety's "Daily Variety" podcast reported live from the AI4 conference in Las Vegas, where the site's AI beat reporter Corbin Bolies found both excitement and unease surrounding generative AI's growing influence across industries. The event highlights a sharp divide within Hollywood: studios and creatives remain wary of AI's potential to devalue copyrighted work and displace traditional film and TV production, even as some in the industry argue the technology can support rather than replace human creativity.

Among those featured was filmmaker Scott Mann, head of AI firm Flawless, who champions tools that streamline costly post-production tasks such as dubbing, positioning AI as additive to filmmaking rather than a threat to it. The conference, held at the Venetian, also showcased AI's reach beyond entertainment, with Bolies noting he saw at least three distinct types of humanoid robots on display, underscoring the scale of progress in AI-driven hardware alongside software.