Under the partnership, Anthony and his longtime business partner Asani Swann will work with Utopai Studios to bring athlete-led stories into film, television, streaming and digital platforms using PAI, the company’s proprietary cinematic storytelling AI platform. The collaboration signals Utopai Studios’ growing focus on sports-driven entertainment, combining its AI-led production capabilities with athletes’ creative vision to develop original content at scale.
“We’re excited to partner with Utopai Studios. What stood out to me wasn’t just how advanced the technology is, but the vision and intention behind it,” Anthony said.
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“Sports has always been grounded in real human stories that can translate to powerful entertainment IP, but bringing those stories to life hasn’t always been easy. PAI changes that. It gives us a more accessible way to create and build something with long-term value,” he added. Swann said the partnership would allow athlete-driven stories to move more efficiently into entertainment formats.
“With this partnership, we see a clear opportunity to develop sports-driven ideas rooted in authentic storytelling into original entertainment properties at scale,” he said.
“With Utopai Studios, we’re combining technology, production expertise, and creative infrastructure to move those ideas seamlessly into film, television, streaming, and digital platforms, faster and with greater creative control.” Cecilia Shen, co-founder and CEO of Utopai Studios, said the partnership reflects a broader shift in how entertainment IP can be created in the AI era.“Carmelo and Asani immediately understood that this is bigger than using AI to make content faster,” Shen said.
“We are building a new studio system for the AI era, one that gives creators, athletes and talent a more direct path to develop original IP while preserving authorship, ownership and creative control.”
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The announcement follows Utopai Studios’ recent collaboration with James Harden on an AI-animated short developed using PAI and underscores the company’s continued expansion into sports entertainment.
One of the first projects under the partnership will be an anime-inspired entertainment property based on Anthony’s career and perspective, incorporating defining moments from his basketball journey and the culture around the sport. The project is expected to debut as a recurring short-form series with behind-the-scenes content tied to Anthony’s creative involvement.
Utopai Studios said PAI is integrated across the content production process, supporting development, visualisation, scene planning, editing, localisation and distribution while aiming to accelerate content creation and scalability for creators and studios.