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Visual Effects Veteran Ed Ulbrich Joins AI Firm Moonvalley to Expand Hollywood Partnerships

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Ed Ulbrich, a seasoned visual effects expert known for his work on blockbuster films like Titanic, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Top Gun: Maverick, has joined AI research company Moonvalley as head of strategic growth and partnerships.

Ulbrich’s role involves strengthening Moonvalley’s ties within Hollywood and collaborating with its studio division, Asteria Film, to promote the adoption of Moonvalley’s generative AI technology, Marey. He draws parallels between the current AI surge and the earlier CGI revolution, which despite initial fears, ultimately created hundreds of thousands of new jobs in the industry.

Moonvalley emphasizes the ethical use of AI by training its models only on licensed content, addressing recent controversies around unauthorized use of film and TV libraries that have led to lawsuits against other AI firms like Midjourney. Ulbrich expressed that the company’s respect for creators and clean data use was a key factor in his decision to join.

With over 30 years in visual effects and credits in more than 50 films and 500 commercials, Ulbrich has also pioneered digital human performances, such as the holographic Tupac Shakur at Coachella in 2012. Before Moonvalley, he was chief content officer and production president at Metaphysic, an AI company specializing in digital actor aging effects, acquired by DNEG Group in February. He has also held leadership positions at Deluxe and Digital Domain, serving as CEO at the latter.

OpenAI Retreats from Restructuring Plan, Nonprofit Retains Control Amid Lawsuit and Public Backlash

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OpenAI has reversed course on a major restructuring plan, announcing on Monday that its nonprofit parent will retain control over its for-profit arm — a move aimed at easing growing criticism and legal pressure, including a lawsuit from co-founder Elon Musk.

In a blog post, CEO Sam Altman emphasized that OpenAI will remain under nonprofit oversight, countering a December proposal to convert the for-profit unit into a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC). That plan, which would have diluted nonprofit control in favor of capital-raising flexibility, faced strong pushback from civic leaders, regulators, and former OpenAI insiders.

“We made the decision for the nonprofit to stay in control after hearing from civic leaders and having discussions with the offices of the Attorneys General of California and Delaware,” said Bret Taylor, chairman of OpenAI’s board.

While the nonprofit will remain the controlling entity and a major shareholder, OpenAI still plans to proceed with uncapping investor profits and revising its for-profit structure to attract future funding. The company is also working with Microsoft, regulators, and other stakeholders to finalize equity distribution under the updated plan.

However, critics say the announcement lacks clarity. Page Hedley, a former OpenAI ethics adviser, said the nonprofit’s reduced ownership stake raises questions about whether OpenAI’s mission — ensuring artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits all of humanity — will remain legally paramount under the revised structure.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s lawsuit will proceed, with his legal team dismissing the move as a cosmetic change. Attorney Marc Toberoff argued that the new structure hides how much control the nonprofit has ceded to the for-profit business.

Despite the controversy, Altman said investor confidence remains strong, and that the company can still raise up to $40 billion in new funding, including a proposed round led by SoftBank at a $300 billion valuation.

The update comes as the AI arms race intensifies, with OpenAI seeking a delicate balance between mission fidelity and capital flexibility, all while navigating legal scrutiny, ethical concerns, and internal leadership tensions.