Fable Studio is planning an AI streaming platform

Users can view their own scenes and combine them together to create an entire episode on the new platform titled Showrunner.

bidder

Generative AI is coming to streaming, with the launch of a dedicated AI content platform that allows users to create episodes with just a few words.

Fable Studio, an Emmy-winning startup in San Francisco, on Thursday announced Showrunner, a platform that the company says can write, voice and animate episodes of its shows. Within the initial release, users will be able to watch AI-generated series and create their own content – ​​with the ability to control dialogue, characters and shot types, among other controls.

The endeavor represents a further encroachment by the tech industry on Hollywood, as it looks to exploit artificial intelligence tools embroiled in controversy over their ability to streamline production and the potential to be created using copyrighted material from the creators they could eventually replace. Amid the industry’s historic double whammy last year, in which the use of AI emerged as a controversial negotiating point, Fable has released an AI-generated episode of South Park To showcase its technology. While some mocked him for his comedic blunders, others pointed to the video as a leap forward in technology and a proof of concept that AI tools will soon allow viewers to more actively engage with content, perhaps by creating their own. It also demonstrated the threat technology poses to creatives whose work could be undermined if adopted into the production pipeline.

“The vision is to be the Netflix of AI,” says CEO Edward Saatchi. “Maybe you finish all the episodes of the show you’re watching and click the button to create another episode. You can say what it should be about or you can let the AI ​​make it itself.

Users will now be able to join the waitlist for a free trial of the platform, which will likely continue until the end of the year, according to Saatchi. The announcement includes the reveal of 10 animated shows of different genres and styles that were mostly produced using artificial intelligence tools, outside of music and some transitions. They include Exodus Valleyhas been described as a satire of Silicon Valley that emulates the anime style and comedic flavor of South Park; Ikiru Shino, a dark horror anime that follows survivors of a global catastrophe trying to rebuild society; And Sim Francisco, an anthology series about people living in the shared “Sim Francisco” universe, where several shows take place. The technology is limited to animation only and does not have the ability to create live footage.

Users are encouraged to create their own episodes of the shows, and the best ones will be included in the series catalog when Showrunner officially launches. Winners will receive a lump sum, plus revenue sharing if the show is chosen by a streamer. Saatchi says the platform’s technology allows users to create a series of scenes that can then be stitched together to create an entire episode. Prompts can range from just a few words to over 100 words. He adds that users will be able to edit dialogue, footage and flow of scenes, among other things.

“He will understand the core conflict in your episode and develop it with another character or location,” Saatchi says. Or you could say, “I specifically want this to be the next scene.”

Fable, which won an Emmy in 2019 for innovation in interactive media, seeks to cut costs by having users create content that others will watch. The model illustrates the anxiety and fear some creatives feel about AI: If the technology is able to act as multi-purpose crew members and talent, it reduces the value and demand for their work. The union’s protections, some of which currently prohibit the use of AI tools, will likely gain greater significance if a company can prove that there is a market for content generated entirely by AI.

with Exodus Valley, Fable looks to be in on the joke of tech industrialists like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk unwittingly destroying society with artificial intelligence. The first episode has some rough edges, and some will probably consider it a cheap knockoff South Park – but it has a clear and sometimes witty story.

“AI can definitely produce better episodes The Simpsons “Today,” Saatchi says.

Showrunner is powered by Fable’s AI model, which was created after the release of open source AI systems from OpenAI and Stable Diffusion. Last year, it released a paper showcasing technology that it says can write, produce, direct, edit, audio and animate episodes of shows with a large catalog of content. The company created nine brief episodes generated by artificial intelligence South Park From a short prompt.

The system is trained on “publicly available data,” Saatchi says. When asked about widespread allegations about AI companies using copyrighted materials to teach their technology, he added: “What I care about is whether the output is original” and that “it is the content that will decide whether the technology is worthwhile.”