The AI Wars begin!

AI Is Rewriting Movies, Media… and Maybe You Too?

This week on AI Haven’t a Clue:The AI wars are heating up, entertainment is getting a reboot, and our guest thinks we’re entering an era of algorithmic everything.

Hello curious minds,

If you feel like AI news has suddenly gone from “hmm, interesting” to “WHAT IS HAPPENING,” you’re not alone.

This week we’re diving into the escalating AI arms race — or as we’ve decided to call it: The AI Wars. It’s no longer theoretical. Thebiggest tech companies on the planet are now outspending NASA to build faster, smarter, and more personal AI systems — and the impact on entertainment, media, and everyday life is staggering.

Let’s get into it.

Meta’s Billion-Dollar Bet on Personal AI

Meta has officially entered supervillain mode (we mean that lovingly) by launching Meta Superintelligence Labs, a division focused on developing AI that can basically do everything for you. They’re calling it “personal superintelligence” — an assistant that books your holidays, writes your messages, and perhaps one day even thinks on your behalf.

The price tag?$69 billion in AI infrastructure investment for 2025 alone. That’s more than triple NASA’s annual budget. Enough to build two-and-a-half Elizabeth lines. Or, as we worked out, nearly three NASAs.

And they’re not alone...

Microsoft & Google Aren’t Sitting Still

Microsoft is planning to spend even more — $100 billion by 2026 — to expand its Azure cloud empire, which underpins most of today’s large AI models. Google, meanwhile, has fundamentally changed how search works in the UK and US. If you’ve searched anything recently and felt like the results were a weird mix of AI-generated summaries and fewer clickable links — yep, that’s it.

One result? Publishers and websites are seeing 79% drops in traffic. That’s not just a tweak to the algorithm — it’s a full-blown redefinition of how information is distributed online.

Google has essentially replaced “search” with “ask an AI.” What happens when AI answers don’t link out — and are potentially paid for? That’s where it gets murky.

Meanwhile at Amazon…

While Meta, Microsoft, and Google race to dominate AI infrastructure, Amazon is playing defence. It’s rewriting its site code to block AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity from scraping its product listings.

Why? Because Amazon wants to control the experience, not become a backend for someone else’s AI assistant. And when your biggest competitor (Google) is your biggest customer (paid search traffic), you start to protect your data like it’s gold dust.

They’re also investing in AI-driven entertainment in a different way — more on that in a second.

Welcome to AI-Generated Entertainment

Enter Phil Rowley, Head of Futures at Omnicom Media Group UK and author of The Future of Entertainment. He joined us this week to explain what happens next — and how AI will change not just how we make content, but how we consume it.

According to Phil, we’re entering a new era shaped by four key forces — or as he calls them, the 4 Ds:

1. Democratisation

AI tools are raising both the floor and ceiling of creativity. Whether you’re a teenager making videos in your bedroom or a Hollywood director using AI to storyboard scenes, the tech is now accessible to all. Think of it like the internet did for information — but now, it’s creativity that’s being unlocked.

2. Diffusion

Content is no longer fixed in one format. You can take a video and instantly create a podcast, a blog post, or a 3D visualisation. Everything is becoming multi-modal, and AI is the translator between formats.

3. Dimensionalisation

AI is turning flat media into 3D, immersive experiences. Whether it’s giving video game NPCs real personalities or allowing creators to build entire games just by describing them in plain English, we’re heading into a world where anyone can build a universe — not just consume one.

4. Dismantling

As AI becomes embedded into cheaper smartphones, the entertainment landscape is shifting. Power is moving away from Hollywood and toward emerging markets like India, China, and Saudi Arabia. We’re seeing the rise of a truly global creator economy — one that’s no longer filtered through the traditional West-centric lens.

AI Just Rewrote a Film’s Ending — Without the Director’s Consent

You read that right. An Indian film from 2013 is being re-released — with an AI-generated happy ending. The original director found out in the media.

This could be the start of a very weird, very ethically murky trend. What happens when studios start offering “multiple endings” powered by AI? Would you watch Titanic if Jack survived? Want Romeo and Juliet to live happily ever after? Well… now you can.

(We asked our readers and listeners: Which film ending would YOU change using AI? Send us your picks!)

Amazon’s Showrunner: Make Your Own TV Show

Let’s go back to Amazon. They’ve quietly backed a platform called Showrunner, where you can pay a subscription to create your own AI-generated TV show. Imagine inserting yourself into a Star Wars battle, rewriting a Disney storyline, or remaking Friendswith you as the sixth housemate.

It sounds like fan fiction on steroids, but it’s already here — and Amazon is striking deals with studios to license their IP for remixing.

Real Use Cases: Smart Toilets & Pizza Buffets

Of course, not all AI innovation is dramatic. Some of it is… delightfully practical.

We shared some lesser-known use cases this week:

• Smart toilet queues at New York’s UBS Arena: AI tracks foot traffic and tells fans which bathrooms have the shortest line.

• Pizza buffets that use cameras and AI to detect when slices look sad, cold, or depleted — and replace them before customers complain.

It’s not flashy. It’s not dystopian. It’s just… useful.

So Where Does This Leave Us?

Phil summed it up best: AI isn’t here to replace us. It’s here to extend what we can do.

But as the volume of content explodes, we’re going to rely more than ever on algorithms to sort and surface what we see. That’s both a time-saver… and a risk.

Because the more AI reflects our taste back to us, the more we risk staying in a bubble — only seeing what we already like.

Still, there’s plenty to be excited about. If you’re creative, curious, or just like weird tech… this is your moment.

Over to You

• Which movie ending would YOU rewrite with AI?

• Have you tried a voice clone tool like ElevenLabs?

• Got a weird or unexpected AI use case we should feature?

We’d love to hear from you — drop us a comment, reply to this newsletter, or email us at aihaventaclue@gmail.com.

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Until next time,George & JamesAI Haven’t a Clue