AI in Action: Insights from the Cinema Exhibition Frontline - White Paper

In the summer of 2023, through Cinema Technology Magazine, CTC introduced and explored the emerging impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the cinema exhibition sector. At the time, AI was still a fairly new concept in the public consciousness — gaining mass media attention and sparking a mixture of curiosity, excitement, and concern. It was a buzzword in many ways, often attached to press releases and marketing materials without clear meaning, and largely misunderstood by those outside specialist circles.
 

Two years on, that has started to change. AI’s evolution has been extraordinary — and sometimes bewildering. It now quietly underpins everyday tools that millions use, from smart assistants to email composition, translation, marketing, and task automation. Within cinema, its footprint is growing too — from scheduling and customer engagement to marketing, accessibility, and technical operations.
 

That said, full-scale AI integration across the industry is still in its early stages. Many exhibitors are still experimenting, cautious, or unsure how to approach it. Some are using ChatGPT or similar tools ad hoc; others are adopting dedicated AI-powered platforms for operations or marketing. And some, of course, are waiting to see what others do before committing themselves.
 

This white paper is designed to help CTC members make sense of where the industry is today — and what comes next. It revisits the key concepts from 2023 and brings these up to date with the latest developments, examples, and reflections. It showcases how AI is actually being used in cinema exhibition today, offers a critical look at ethical and environmental concerns, and explores what might be coming next — from real-time programming to AI agents.
 

The picture is complex, fast-changing, and full of potential. But at the heart of it all remains a simple idea: that AI is not here to replace cinema professionals — it’s here to enhance and empower them.