Russo Bros.’ AGBO Hires Apple Veteran Dominic Hughes to Develop ‘AI-Enabled Solutions’ for Filmmakers

AGBO, the media company led by filmmakers Anthony and Joe Russo of Marvel’s “Avengers: Endgame” fame, has hired AI expert Dominic Hughes as its first chief scientific officer.

Hughes, in the newly created role, will work with AGBO’s “storytelling and innovation teams to guide the development and deployment of AI technologies to enrich the creative process,” the company said.

“The entertainment industry is evolving at breakneck speed, and we have never felt more energized by the possibilities,” said AGBO co-chairs and partners Anthony and Joe Russo. “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.”

Hughes has decades of academic and applied experience in machine learning and AI. He earned his Ph.D. from Oxford University and has held research positions in Stanford University’s computer science and mathematics departments. He co-founded and served as chief scientist at Swell, a personalized audio news app acquired by Apple in 2014. At Apple, Hughes led the design and implementation of AI and language models for Apple News. He currently serves as a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley.

Hughes, in a statement provided by AGBO, said, “This is an exciting time to partner with creative visionaries to develop the next generation of filmmaking technology. 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 broad array of creatives to develop artist-led AI-enabled solutions that will help shape the future of storytelling.”

AGBO chief creative officer Angela Russo-Otstot said she will work with Hughes to ensure “that new technologies are developed by the creative community. 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.”

Along with the Russo brothers, AGBO’s two other partners are Donald Mustard and Chris Brearton. The company, established in 2017, has projects spanning film, TV and interactive media. Those have included Marvel’s highest-grossing film of all time, “Avengers: Endgame,” as well as Oscar-winning film “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

AGBO recently completed principal photography on Amazon MGM film “The Bluff,” directed by Frank E. Flowers, and has commenced production on “Citadel” Season 2 for Prime Video in London, with Joe Russo directing. In 2025, Netflix is set to release the Russo brothers-directed movie “The Electric State,” starring Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt and Stanley Tucci. In addition, AGBO will be producing, alongside Marvel, the Russo brothers-directed films “Avengers: Doomsday,” set for a May 2026 premiere, and “Avengers: Secret Wars,” slated to release in May 2027.