Google DeepMind, AWS and Kling AI Join Busan's InnoAsia Tech Program

Organizers of the Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM) in Busan have announced that Google DeepMind, Amazon Web Services, Alibaba Cloud, and China's Kling AI are joining this year's InnoAsia program. It marks one of the first major Asian film markets where generative artificial intelligence will get its own dedicated program track alongside the traditional co-production markets.

InnoAsia is the part of ACFM devoted to the collision of cinema and new technology. According to organizers, the program includes about 12 initiatives grouped around three themes: proof-of-concept demonstrations and investment, support for creators and production, and industry and regulatory discussions.

What major companies will present

Google DeepMind will take part in the Cinematic AI conference, where it will present its work on AI-generated animation and a film directed with the help of artificial intelligence by Darren Aronofsky, previously shown as part of the Cannes Next program.

Kling AI, the Chinese video-generation model developed by Kuaishou, is co-organizing two events: the panel 'New Cinematic Possibilities: Reimagining Filmmaking with Kling AI' and a networking session for industry professionals aimed at producers from across Asia looking for technology partners.

Amazon Web Services, together with MegazoneCloud, will launch its own AWS Awards, tied to a startup pitching session. Winning companies will be selected after a proof-of-concept stage and will receive vouchers for AWS cloud services.

Seven Korean startups

ACFM, together with the Busan Center for Creative Economy & Innovation and AWS, selected seven Korean startups whose technologies span the entire content production chain, from script development to audience-reaction analysis.

The selected companies include Lumicraft with its casting tool Castlink, Reproduction with its script-analysis tool Pre-Flow, Voithru with its AI dubbing system Totus supporting 29 languages, XL8 which handles video localization, Digion Cinema with an online cinema platform using AR glasses, MyStarChain with a blockchain-based voting platform, and HiStranger with its Insight Flow tool for measuring audience reactions based on biological signals. The program also includes foreign startups: France's Atlas V, Berlin-based Lux AI, and Taiwan's imCore.

Brands and micro-dramas

A separate part of the program is the Cinema by Brand 2026 competition, run jointly with the agency INNOCEAN, in which filmmakers create 20-minute short films built around a brand concept. This year's theme is 'Space Solar Power,' proposed by the Hanwha Group conglomerate. Submissions will be reviewed in September, and winners will be announced during the market itself in October, receiving production funding.

The InnoAsia program also includes a panel on policy toward micro-dramas, short video formats made for mobile platforms, whose global market organizers estimate at $18 billion. It is a segment where generative AI is increasingly replacing traditional production crews in churning out large numbers of episodes.

What it means for the industry

For studios and distributors in Asia, the presence of Google DeepMind, AWS, and Kling AI at a single film market signals that generative tools are no longer a side attraction at trade fairs but are becoming a separate investment track alongside the traditional trade in rights and co-productions. Tech companies treat film festivals like Busan as a place to find production partners in a region where both the short-drama market and local animation studios are growing.

For Polish producers and distributors of short-form content, the Busan event points to the direction part of the Asian industry is heading: AI tools for dubbing, casting, and script analysis are reaching not just major studios but also small startups backed by funds and cloud vouchers from companies like AWS.

Organizers are expected to publish the full InnoAsia 2026 schedule, including the panel lineup and Cinema by Brand finalists, closer to the market's October dates. Sources: Google DeepMind, Amazon Web Services, Kling AI Join Busan Market Tech Program InnoAsia (https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMipwFBVV95cUxNZm9pbWZkaFBabndsSmFsTnpXSVZpWDZ1YjQydWpnTTdBdmNHSXAtSm8tbjZubFFTcm9oeVVwbnB0SklPemE4NzNoVEswS1Zld0htcHVHTWt5amV0dFl4UUJzREZJVWdMdGtqelV6SzRPOGR2cGpMUHlXTGhOdUtWUHFFTWVQYUtJTkU5LXg4cDR6VEFMUzAxZzJNejlmMkF2YjI5VDd4UQ?oc=5), AI filmmaking tools take center stage at Busan film market (https://northeasttimes.com/2026/08/26/ai-filmmaking-tools-take-center-stage-at-busan-film-market/), InnoAsia 2026 Program Overview - BIFF (https://www.biff.kr/eng/artyboard/mboard.asp?action=view&strBoardID=9611_05&intSeq=102514)