US based Utopai Studios, which is relying heavily on AI to rewrite content productions rules, yesterday announced that American Basketball Hall of Famer and entrepreneur Carmelo Anthony, through his production company Creative 7, has become a strategic partner and will work with it to expand work with professional athletes, with a focus on developing original sports and entertainment intellectual property using PAI, the studio’s proprietary cinematic storytelling AI.
Through the initiative, an official joint statement said yesterday, Anthony, alongside business partner and co-founder of Creative 7, Asani Swann, will work with Utopai Studios to help bring professional athletes and sports-related opportunities into original projects across film, television, streaming and digital platforms.

The effort reflects a broader expansion of Utopai Studios’ work with talent across sports and entertainment and combines the company’s expertise in cinematic AI, production and intellectual property development with the creative vision of athletes and other creators.
“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,” said Carmelo Anthony, adding, “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.”
“With this partnership, we see a clear opportunity to develop sports-driven ideas rooted in authentic storytelling into original entertainment properties at scale,” said Asani Swann.

“Carmelo and Asani immediately understood that this is bigger than using AI to make content faster,” said Cecilia Shen, Co-Founder and CEO of Utopai Studios.

“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. With Creative 7 and PAI, we can help turn powerful athlete-driven stories into entertainment properties built for film, television, streaming, animation and digital audiences,” she added.
The announcement follows Utopai Studios’ recent work with professional athletes, including its project with James Harden on an AI-animated short created with PAI, and reflects the company’s continued expansion into sports-driven entertainment IP.One of the first projects under the initiative will be an anime-inspired entertainment property developed around Anthony’s world, drawing on defining moments from his career, his point of view and the broader culture surrounding the game.

The initial rollout is expected to include a recurring short-form series and behind-the-scenes content tied to Anthony’s creative involvement, serving as an early example of how Utopai Studios plans to work with athletes on original sports and entertainment IP.
Utopai Studios said it is building a new kind of global entertainment company designed for the AI era. The company combines proprietary AI infrastructure with real integration into Hollywood and global entertainment ecosystems, creating the next evolution of the studio system. At the center of this model is PAI, Utopai Studios’ proprietary cinematic narrative AI system and the core engine of its AI-native production ecosystem. Purpose-built for professional entertainment workflows, PAI supports the full lifecycle of content creation, including development, visualization, scene planning, continuity management, editing, localization and delivery.

Creative 7 is a global, multi-platform content company producing purpose-driven projects spanning film, television, documentary, animation, audio and digital content that, the company said, speaks to the evolution of the human spirit through adversity, social activism, and compelling, entertainment-forward storytelling.