Adapting at Scale through the Lens of a Tech Pioneer - Phil Wiser, Paramount
Richard Entrup interviewed Phil Wiser of Paramount about the transformative impact on the media and entertainment industry ofΒ ...
Executive Vice President & Chief Technology Officer, Paramount Global
Search every verified Philip Wiser interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote β each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Phil Wiser, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Paramount Global, has discussed the company's approach to generative AI and other emerging technologies in recent appearances. In a March 2024 SXSW session, Wiser described Paramount as a content company rather than a technology company, with technology teams serving creative output. He stated that Paramount moved its entire company to a cloud-based model and partnered with Adobe to create a proprietary "franchise model" AI system based on the company's intellectual property. Wiser said he does not aim to "win the gen AI arms race" but intends to stay close to those who do, and described generative AI as a "creative assistant" rather than a tool for generating finished content at scale from a single prompt. In an August 2025 interview, Wiser addressed AI copyright and licensing, stating that Paramount is "trying to be very thoughtful" about the issue and will "hold on to all of our rights as much as we can" while engaging with technology companies. He noted that litigation occurs when tech companies are "recalcitrant" and unwilling to have meaningful conversations. Wiser also discussed the rapid pace of AI development, comparing the trajectory to cloud and mobile technology, and said that humans' ability to absorb and adopt the technology may be the limiting factor. He emphasized that he keeps himself involved in financial decisions related to technology investments, saying that if a "big technical decision" falls to the CFO for approval, "it's never going to work right."
“I do pick those moments. And then when I joined Sony Music as a follow on to that, I saw that panic in the eyes of the executives when I was meeting with the CEO at the time. I could see that they had no idea what to do. And I was like, I can really help.”
“I insist that CTOs read a couple of good books or study online, learn about venture investing models and how to feed a team just enough money to get to the next step, but never overfeed that team.”
“When a big technical decision is going to fall to the CFO giving a green light, I'm doomed. It's never going to work right. So I have to be in the driver's seat when it comes to the finances and where we're making our investments.”
“The trajectory of change in this technology is breakneck speeds by any I think relative to anything. The capital investment going into AI, the acquisitions, the numbers, the valuations are just like we've never seen before and it's not letting up right now.”
Richard Entrup interviewed Phil Wiser of Paramount about the transformative impact on the media and entertainment industry ofΒ ...
Portuguese and Spanish language translations for SXSW 2024 Keynotes and Featured Sessions presented by ItaΓΊ Wondering how tech trends like AI, cloud computing, mixed reality, and NFTs are reshaping production, processing, and distribution of content? Hear from the CTO of Paramount Global Phil Wiser on the new set of challenges and opportunities faced by the media industry during this evolution. He will demonstrate how Paramount is currently utilizing these technologies and reveal his considerations for when to invest in innovation. He will share his thoughts on how AI may change the way IP isβ¦
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