Curious Refuge, an online AI-powered film school in Los Angeles, has become a key training ground for Hollywood professionals adapting to generative AI and machine-learning tools.

Petra Molnar, who shifted from dental hygiene to advertising, exemplifies AI education unlocking new career paths, including AI-generated promotional content featured for WhiteFiber on Nasdaq’s Times Square LED screen.

About 10,000 students have enrolled to update their expertise to meet current industry needs, despite skepticism from traditionalists toward AI.

The school argues that AI skills are essential as the industry debates and experiments with AI, addressing concerns about synthetic actors like the AI-generated actress Tilly Norwood and potential job displacement.

Industry sentiment around AI is mixed: some view it as a threat to jobs, such as concerns over AI-generated performers, while others see opportunities for new roles, storytelling, and craft areas supported by studies predicting both displacement and the creation of new work.