AGBO Names Apple Veteran And And AI Expert Dominic Hughes Chief Scientific Officer

EXCLUSIVE: Dominic Hughes, an expert in algorithms, machine learning and artificial intelligence who led AI initiatives over more than a decade at Apple, has been named Chief Scientific Officer at AGBO.

In the newly created post, Hughes will collaborate with AGBO’s in-house teams to guide the development and deployment of AI, with the goal of tapping its potential to enhance the creative process.

AGBO, founded in 2017 by filmmakers Anthony and Joe Russo, is a multifaceted production entity behind feature films like Netflix’s The Gray Man and Extraction as well as series like Prime Video’s Citadel. The company has also been ramping up its capabilities in areas like virtual production and gaming. Earlier this year, it established an innovation department and staffed it with pedigreed execs.

Hughes has decades of academic and applied experience in developing machine learning technologies and models at leading research institutions and major corporations. He earned his Ph.D. from Oxford University and has held research positions at Stanford University’s computer science and math departments.

After co-founding personalized audio news app Swell and serving as its Chief Scientist, he helped lead Apple’s development and implementation of AI and language models for Apple News after it acquired Swell in 2014.

Hughes is currently a Visiting Scholar at UC Berkeley.

“The entertainment industry is evolving at breakneck speed, and we have never felt more energized by the possibilities,” the Russos said in a statement. “At AGBO, we are relentlessly focused on a creative-led approach to technology and innovation. Working in tandem with our writers, directors, crew members, and technologists, Dr. Hughes will help us imagine new ways to empower artists to tell their boldest and most ambitious stories.”

The Hollywood creative community is still processing the arrival of more sophisticated forms of AI in recent years. It became a key issue in the dual strikes of 2023 and the WGA and SAG-AFTRA ultimately secured some key protections on that front. While a level of anxiety persists, a wide range of companies are also trying to explore the upside of the technology.

“This is an exciting time to partner with creative visionaries to develop the next generation of filmmaking technology,” Hughes said. “AGBO’s longstanding approach of adopting and adapting technologically advanced filmmaking techniques positions them well for this era of discovery. I look forward to working with their artists to develop AI-enabled solutions that will help shape the future of storytelling.”

AGBO Partner Chris Brearton said Hughes “adds valuable perspective and academic rigor to our exploratory approach to emerging tech and innovation.”

Angela Russo-Otstot, AGBO’s Chief Creative Officer, will work closely with Hughes to ensure the company is developing and leveraging the right proprietary, third-party, and public technology.

“As a company made up of writers, directors, and crew members, AGBO is determined to ensure that new technologies are developed by the creative community,” Russo-Otstot said. “We are excited to work with Dr. Hughes to develop tools and processes that will enable our artists to be more precise, more streamlined, and even more creative.”