Cecilia Shen and the Leadership of Utopai Studios

Cecilia Shen is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Utopai Studios, an artificial intelligence (AI) film and television (TV) studio that she established with Jie Yang in 2022. Shen originally launched the business under the name Cybever to develop three-dimensional (3D) environment tools before expanding into long-form cinematic production.

In October 2026, Shen delivered the opening-day keynote for the inaugural MIP AI Entertainment Forum at MIPCOM Cannes and shared the session with Ken Oh of CJ ENM Studios. Utopai Studios operates from Mountain View, California, and maintains an international slate of feature films and episodic series scheduled for release through 2027.

Who Cecilia Shen Is

Cecilia Shen leads Utopai Studios as Chief Executive Officer.

Shen was born in China and raised in Toronto.

In October 2026, she gave the opening-day keynote of the MIP AI Entertainment Forum at MIPCOM Cannes, where Utopai was a Headline Partner. Other AI founders are profiled in our AI people to watch.

• Current role: Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
• Company: Utopai Studios (originally founded as Cybever)
• Co-founders: Jie Yang (Chief Technology Officer) and Zijian He (Chief Scientific Officer)
• Education: Attended the University of Waterloo (departed during the pandemic)
• In the news for: Opening keynote at the MIPCOM Cannes 2026 MIP AI Entertainment Forum

Education and Early Career

Shen left the University of Waterloo during the pandemic; no source states her program or a degree.

Following her departure from the University of Waterloo, Shen secured an artificial intelligence position at Royal Bank of Canada.

Shen subsequently transitioned to Google's X moonshot lab. During her tenure at Google X, Shen met Jie Yang; they co-founded Cybever in 2022.

Founding of Cybever and Evolution Into Utopai Studios

Cybever originated in 2022 as a three-dimensional world generation startup before expanding into full entertainment production as Utopai Studios in August 2025. Cybever focused on generating and editing 3D virtual environments and video; Forbes says its first AI tools generated 3D environments for games. On September 12, 2024, Cybever announced the beta of its AI-powered 3D world creation platform.

On August 26, 2025, Cybever rebranded as Utopai Studios. Utopai's site lists its address as 215 Castro Street, Mountain View, California. Forbes reported that producer Marco Weber joined as co-CEO at the rebrand, though an August 2026 report in Variety India listed only Shen as CEO and Yang as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and called Weber "Ex Machina CEO"; his current Utopai title is unconfirmed. Kevin Chong serves as Chief Operating Officer (COO), and Hyun Park leads regional initiatives as President of Asia-Pacific (APAC).

Financial figures published by Forbes reported Cybever revenue of $750,000 in 2024, an estimated $7.5 million for the first half of 2025, and estimated 2025 full-year revenue at under $50 million. While Utopai Studios claimed $110 million in revenue in its rebrand announcement, Forbes noted that projects Space Nation and Cortés could together fetch an estimated $110 million contingent on delivery. Forbes also reported that Carmelo Anthony invested an estimated $5 million through Creative 7 Productions at an estimated valuation of about $1 billion. The company is covered in Utopai Studios Explained.

Production Philosophy and the PAI Engine

Her Utopai bio says technology should serve storytellers, with taste, direction and authorship kept in human hands. She told Forbes: "You can't become a $10 billion dollar company as just a technology provider. You have to become a studio." Shen also observed that "long-form is a total empty market right now."

Utopai sells its production engine, Production Assistive Intelligence (PAI), described on the PAI product page. PAI debuted in spring 2026, and Utopai Studios released PAI 2.0 on June 2, 2026. PAI 2.0 is an agent-first workspace featuring a guided Easy Mode, a freeform Canvas Pro Mode, script breakdowns, and keyframe generation for 15-second segments.

PAI incorporates the Utopai X agentic video model and provides 4K video exports compatible with Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve. Utopai says PAI reached $11 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR); Forbes reported it came within 60 days of release, from licensing to production companies. Pricing and features are in Utopai PAI Explained.

MIPCOM Cannes 2026 Keynote

Shen delivered the opening-day keynote for the inaugural MIP AI Entertainment Forum at MIPCOM Cannes on October 12, 2026, in the Grand Auditorium. The conference took place in Cannes, France, running from October 12 to October 15, 2026. Conference organizers at MIPCOM Cannes designated Utopai Studios as a Headline Partner for the forum, describing Utopai as "valued at more than $1 billion."

French trade publication IDmedia quoted Shen in French; in translation: "AI can generate a shot. But it takes a studio to build a universe audiences want to return to."

The official programme lists Ken Oh ("Content CEO, CJ ENM Studios") in the same session as Shen; IDmedia also listed Cynthia Littleton of Variety as a speaker, with her role not stated. IDmedia reported that Shen and Oh discussed generative-AI adoption by established players, early long-form uses, and scaling from experiments to production. There is no public report of a deal, investment, co-production or partnership between Utopai and CJ ENM; Ken Oh was a fellow speaker.

Film Slate and International Studio Acquisitions

Utopai says it has about 25 film and TV projects in development or production, spanning historical epics, science fiction series, and animated features. One feature project is Cortés, a historical epic set in 1519 written by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Nicholas Kazan and directed by Paul Mignot, scheduled for wide theatrical release in 2027. Launch coverage in August 2025 reportedly named Kirk Petruccelli as director before subsequent trade reporting listed Mignot.

One series is Space Nation, an eight-episode sci-fi action series slated for 2027 with episode durations between 45 and 60 minutes. Space Nation was co-created by Marco Weber and Martin Weisz, with Weisz directing all eight episodes and co-writing alongside Vanessa Coifman. The series is co-produced by Utopai Studios, Globoplay, and Ex Machina Studios, with international distribution managed by K5 International.

Advanced Television reported how Utopai grew its slate through Utopai East. In November 2025, Utopai Studios formed the Utopai East joint venture with Stock Farm Road, co-founded by Brian Koo and Dr. Amin Badr-El-Din. In February 2026, Utopai East acquired Seoul production company Alquimista Media, founded by former Studio Dragon executive Hyun Park, adding more than 15 scripted projects. On August 27, 2026, Utopai Studios completed the full corporate integration of Utopai East into Utopai Studios.

Comparison with Other AI-Native Production Studios

Utopai Studios is one of several AI-native studios developing film and television productions.

Production executives evaluating machine learning pipelines can read the PAI product page or review our directory of AI-native film studios to compare emerging workflows against traditional production budgets.