From the heart of Crenshaw to Amazon Studios in Culver City, Google Headquarters, Pepperdine University, UCLA, and finally back home to Crenshaw — what a week we had @ LA Tech Week 2026.
Six days on the road, exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence, technology, innovation, entrepreneurship, and human potential.
There was more happening than we could possibly capture, but Dakar Foundation and our AI field correspondent, Linna, were there to document the conversations, connections, and breakthroughs shaping tomorrow’s workforce.
We couldn’t capture it all, but here are some highlights from an unforgettable LA Tech Week 2026!
As Los Angeles celebrates the convergence of technology, entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence, and entertainment, Hollywood is confronting a defining question: Will AI replace the storyteller, or empower an entirely new generation of storytellers?
That question gained new momentum on October 16, 2026, when TechCrunch published remarks from actor, producer, and entrepreneur Mark Wahlberg who discussed the future of artificial intelligence in filmmaking during TechCrunch Disrupt 2026.
Wahlberg described a future in which AI enhances traditional filmmaking rather than eliminates the human imagination, performers, and creative craftsmanship behind it.
We attended a film screening that showcased successful script to screen with out the use of AI as a a contrast to the panels of and workshops that featured useful AI in content creation
During the screening of Cookie Queens we talked with the Producer, Jennifer Sims and the Director of Production, Antonio Cisneros about the processes used to get to the marketplace.
He pointed to his upcoming Pete Rose biopic as an example of how AI could potentially enhance large-scale stadium environments while preserving the authenticity of human performances. His philosophy is simple: AI should elevate the story, not replace the storyteller.
FROM HOLLYWOOD STARS TO DIGITAL LEGACIES
Perhaps the most provocative element of Wahlberg’s remarks was his openness to an AI-generated digital likeness that could carry his creative legacy into future generations.
Discussing technologies such as Creative Artists Agency’s CAA Vault, which can digitally capture an actor’s appearance, movement, and voice, Wahlberg expressed interest in the possibility of his children and grandchildren eventually controlling his digital image.
The implications extend far beyond Hollywood celebrities.
Imagine independent filmmakers, musicians, educators, journalists, and cultural historians preserving their creative knowledge, performances, and intellectual property in ways that future generations can responsibly access and build upon it, especially in classrooms.
But that future raises critical questions about ownership, consent, compensation, authenticity, and the rights of creative workers. LA Tech Week provided a futuristic look at where the prevailing winds are blowing, and with predictive analystics in Ai, we can get ahead of the curve if we so desire.
For Dakar, these are not simply technology questions. They are workforce development, entrepreneurship, intellectual property, and economic opportunity questions.
THE DAKAR CONNECTION: TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION OF AI-POWERED CREATORS
Wahlberg’s comments reinforce the central thesis driving the Dakar Foundation’s emerging workforce ecosystem: The future of filmmaking isn’t human versus machine. It’s human genius multiplied by intelligent technology that even a 5th grade can manipulate.
Through Dakar’s registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship pathways, AI-enhanced Backpack Journalism, SIGGRAPH Scoops, and the expanding AI Reels initiative, the Foundation is building opportunities for emerging creators to master the technologies transforming Hollywood.
The next generation of media professionals must understand not only cinematography, editing, storytelling, and production, but also synthetic media, AI-assisted visual effects, digital likeness management, intellectual property, and agentic production workflows.
This transformation opens the door to an entirely new class of creator startups, where young entrepreneurs can develop original stories, build intellectual property portfolios, launch production ventures, and compete in a global digital marketplace.
Dakar’s mission is to connect that innovation directly to education, industry mentorship, paid work-based learning, and sustainable careers.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: FROM LA TECH WEEK TO LA28 AND SIGGRAPH 2027
As Los Angeles prepares for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and as SIGGRAPH heads toward Anaheim in 2027, the intersection of AI, cinema, broadcasting, immersive technology, and entrepreneurship represents an extraordinary regional workforce opportunity.
Through initiatives such as Dakar’s Live Intelligence Neuro Network Agent , Linna, and the HIVE Broadcast Consortium, the Foundation is exploring how human-led, AI-supported production teams can redefine the future of field journalism, live broadcasting, and digital storytelling.
Los Angeles is becoming a proving ground for the next generation of human and artificial intelligence collaboration. Six days, hundreds of innovators, and one extraordinary journey across Los Angeles. From Crenshaw to Amazon in Culver City, Google Headquarters, Pepperdine University, UCLA, and back to Crenshaw, Dakar Foundation and our AI field correspondent, Linna, followed the pulse of LA Tech Week 2026. Highlights included Amazon’s explorations of world models and visual reasoning, Google’s AI demonstrations and startup ecosystem, Hollywood’s evolving relationship with generative AI, creator entrepreneurship, venture capital, and university-driven innovation.
From AI-powered filmmaking and intelligent production workflows to emerging startups and human-machine collaboration, one message resonated across the city: Los Angeles isn’t simply witnessing the future—it’s helping invent it.The objective is not simply to teach young people how to operate new tools.
It is to prepare them to become the owners, innovators, producers, and entrepreneurs building the next generation of media enterprises.
And that may be the most important takeaway from LA Tech Week 2026:
For the Dakar Foundation, these experiences reinforced a mission far greater than technology demonstrations: transform innovation into opportunity, classrooms into incubators, apprentices into entrepreneurs, and human potential into economic power. As Los Angeles prepares for the LA28 Olympics, our challenge is to connect industry pioneers, educators, investors, and emerging talent to build the next generation of creative and technical professionals. The future isn’t waiting for us. We’re training it, building it, filming it, and broadcasting it to the world. From Crenshaw to Silicon Beach and beyond, Dakar’s journey is just beginning.
Hollywood’s future will not be determined by artificial intelligence alone. It will be shaped by the human intelligence, creative ownership, and opportunities we build around it.
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