As artificial intelligence dominates headlines across industries, Brian Schultz, the chief executive officer of LOOK Cinemas, will join a grounded, operational perspective on the CinemaCon stage in the panel ‘Practical AI for Streamlined Theater Operations’ on Monday, April 13 at CinemaCon 2026 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Moderated by Laura Houlgatte and featuring Marine Suttle of The BoxOffice Company and Otto Turton of Vue International, the session will explore how exhibitors can apply AI in practical, measurable ways to streamline operations, reduce friction, and elevate the guest experience.
For LOOK Cinemas, AI is not theoretical. It is already embedded into daily operations across seven premium dine-in theaters and nearly 1,000 employees. Like many growing circuits, LOOK had invested heavily in training platforms and documentation. The company had built a deep library of policies, SOPs, HR materials, and operational guides. Yet frontline employees and managers still struggled to access answers quickly during live shifts. New hires often prioritized getting on the floor over completing training modules. Managers spent hours each week responding to repetitive operational questions about service protocols, equipment, and systems. The content existed. Access at the moment of need did not. LOOK addressed this gap by deploying an AI-enabled knowledge system that transformed static documentation into an on-demand assistant for both employees and managers. Within two weeks, the company launched two role-specific bots designed to provide instant, contextual answers.
Frontline team members can now get clear answers in seconds without leaving the floor, while managers access real-time guidance on leadership, guest service, and operations. The system is available on demand through the device of their choosing, including smartphone, computer, integrated apps, existing internal systems, and even via “Botmail,” which allows employees to email the bot and receive immediate answers.
The CinemaCon panel will move beyond speculation about AI replacing roles or introducing futuristic concepts. Instead, it will focus on practical deployment strategies that exhibitors can implement now. Topics will include streamlining scheduling and internal communication, reducing repetitive managerial workload, using AI to identify training gaps and operational blind spots, and integrating AI with existing systems rather than replacing them.
LOOK’s experience highlights an important takeaway for exhibitors, namely that AI does not require a complete technology overhaul. By leveraging existing documentation and workflows, the company was able to deploy quickly and scale across locations without adding operational complexity. Exhibitors today face increasing labor pressure, rising costs, and the ongoing challenge of delivering consistent guest experiences across multiple locations. AI presents a tangible opportunity to improve speed, consistency, and decision-making at the unit level. Schultz will share lessons learned from real deployment, including adoption strategies, frontline engagement, and how leadership teams can think about AI as an operational tool rather than a marketing buzzword. For exhibitors asking where to begin with AI, this session offers a practical roadmap grounded in live theater operations.
“For years, we invested in building the right content. The breakthrough came when we made it instantly accessible,” said Schultz. “AI gave us a way to support our teams in the moment, not just during training. AI should not be intimidating. When implemented thoughtfully, it becomes a support system for your managers and staff. It frees leaders to focus on guests and performance instead of answering the same operational questions over and over.”
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