Robert Legato – the respected VFX innovator who won Oscars for “Titanic,” “Hugo” and “The Jungle Book” – has joined Stability AI at chief pipeline architect. In doing so, he reteams with James Cameron, an influential board member for the AI firm.
Legato is credited with creating the virtual cinematography pipeline for Cameron’s “Avatar,” which went on to surpass the director’s “Titanic” as the highest grossing film of all time with $2.8 billion at the worldwide box office. Legato’s pioneering work has also included “Apollo 13,” “The Aviator,” and the virtual production of “The Lion King.” He’s also held roles at Digital Domain (the VFX studio co-founded by Cameron in the early ’90s), Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures Imageworks over his 30-plus year career.
The maker of Gen AI tech Stable Diffusion, Stability AI develops open models for image, video, 3D, and audio, as well as professional applications for enterprise-grade visual media creation. In addition to Cameron, Stability AI’s leadership includes CEO Prem Akkaraju, the former CEO of Weta; CTO Hanno Basse, a former CTO at 20th Century Fox and Digital Domain; and executive chair and tech entrepreneur Sean Parker.
In his new role, Legato will work to combine Stability’s research with VFX industry needs, as well strength the collaboration between Stability AI and the VFX community.
“Joining Stability AI is an incredible opportunity, and I couldn’t be more excited to help shape the next era of filmmaking,” Legato says. “With dynamic leaders like Prem Akkaraju and Jim Cameron driving the vision, the potential here is limitless. What excites me most is Stability AI’s commitment to filmmakers — building a tool that is as intuitive as it is powerful, designed to elevate creativity rather than replace it. It’s an artist-first approach to AI, and I’m thrilled to be part of it.”
Adds Akkaraju, “Rob’s expertise in VFX is unmatched. For 30 years, he has operated at the intersection of art and science, driving the last major technological shift in filmmaking with CGI. That experience makes him the perfect addition as we transform the visual media production pipeline again with generative AI GPU-based tools, shaping the future of professional storytelling. His decision to join Stability AI is a testament to the strength of our technology and team.”