UK production company Evolutionary Films has entered into an exclusive worldwide partnership with Kling AI on upcoming animated feature Minibots, a production that aims to redefine how artificial intelligence is integrated into mainstream filmmaking. 

Under the terms of the partnership, Kling will become the exclusive global “technological brand partner” on the feature, providing production support, platform access and a dedicated Creative Partnership Programme supporting Minibots’ internationally recognised AI artist team.

Evolutionary Films says that, unlike recent AI film experiments that have been focused primarily on automation and cost reduction, Minibots is positioning itself as “a fundamentally artist-led production, combining Hollywood storytelling, world-class animation talent and next-generation AI workflows under a strict ethical framework designed to protect performers and creators”.

The film is produced by Evolutionary Films co-founders John Adams and Diane Shorthouse, with a creative team including writers Michael Ferris (Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines, The Simpsons), Alistair Audsley and Scott Christian Sava (Animal Crackers).

The AI creative team attached to the project includes AI producer Giulio Musi, along with Samuele Poggi, Sebastian Kamph, Edmond Yang, Billy Boman, Erica Montanaro and Josef Samuel, all artists who have been working at the intersection of AI and cinematic storytelling.

Set in a robotics summer camp where three teenage geniuses inadvertently create miniature sentient robots who escape into human society, the film explores themes surrounding technology, identity and humanity.

Evolutionary Films says the project has been designed from the outset as a direct response to growing industry concerns surrounding generative AI. The production has adopted a strict “performance-first” AI charter under which all performances remain entirely human-created and actor-owned. Adams and Shorthouse also say the project has already attracted significant interest from A-list voice talent.

Adams said: “Minibots is not about replacing artists. It’s about empowering some of the most exciting new creative voices in filmmaking with extraordinary new tools. We believe the future belongs to productions that combine cutting-edge technology with genuine artistic authorship and strong ethical standards. Audiences don’t care whether something was made with AI, they care whether it’s imaginative, emotional and visually unforgettable. That’s the opportunity here.”

Kling AI Head of Operations, Yushen Zeng, said: “Minibots represents exactly the kind of creative collaboration we believe AI should enable: artist-led, ambitious and responsibly executed. We’re proud to support a project pushing cinematic storytelling forward while placing human creativity firmly at the centre of the process.”

Minibots is currently in production with Evolutionary Films handling international sales. The company’s credits in conventional filmmaking include Paramount+ thriller Curfew, action film I Am Vengeance and The Magnificent Eleven, co-written by Irvine Welsh. 

Kling AI, a division of Chinese tech giant Kuaishou, offers AI video generation tools that are used by international filmmakers including House Of David creator Jon Erwin.