George Clooney may be at the Venice Film Festival to receive a lifetime achievement award, but he didn't dwell only on memories and nostalgia at a news conference on Wednesday.

Before the award ceremony, which he plans to attend with his wife Amal Clooney, the 65-year-old actor and director spoke about everything from the artificial intelligence revolution in Hollywood and the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger, to the state of journalism and power in America.