Ever since we were introduced to OTT, we’ve all gotten hooked to it. Streaming services are devised in a way to keep you in front of a screen for as long as possible. It brought the concept of “binge-watching” into our lives. With content becoming such an integral part of our day, what if you could create your own OTT shows?
We’re currently witnessing a revolution in technology with the advent of artificial intelligence (AI). The possibilities are endless. You imagine it and AI delivers. What if a Netflix or an Amazon Prime Video gave you the chance to automatically create a new episode of the show you were already watching? Thanks to AI, you actually can. Meet “Showrunner,” the world’s first AI-generated streaming service!
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What Is This Tech?
The Simulation (formerly Fable Studio), an Emmy-winning San Francisco startup, recently launched Showrunner. It’s a platform dedicated to AI content that allows users to create episodes with a prompt of 10 to 15 words. Users can generate scenes and episodes ranging from two to 16 minutes. You can write, voice and animate episodes of shows it carries.
Initially, users will be able to watch AI-generated series and also create their own content – dialogues, characters and shot types, among other controls. Showrunner is targeted at non-technical, non-professional users. Those who want to dive deeper can edit their episodes’ scripts, shots, voices and remake episodes as well.
Amid the industry’s historic dual strikes last year, Fable Studio released an AI-generated episode of South Park to showcase its tech. It received over 8 million views and resulted in meetings with Fox, Netflix, Paramount and Sony. The video acted as a leap forward in the tech space and proof of concept that AI tools will soon allow viewers to actively engage with content, possibly by creating their own.
Announcing our paper on Generative TV & Showrunner Agents!
— The Simulation (@fablesimulation) July 18, 2023
Create episodes of TV shows with a prompt – SHOW-1 will write, animate, direct, voice, edit for you.
We used South Park FOR RESEARCH ONLY – we won't be releasing ability to make your own South Park episodes -not our IP! pic.twitter.com/6P2WQd8SvY
What To Expect?
The announcement features the unveiling of 10 animated shows of various genres and styles mostly made with AI tools. They include the following:
Exit Valley – mimicking the animation style and comedic flavour of South Park
Pixels – a gentle family comedy of AI-enabled devices living in Sim Francisco
What We Leave Behind – an anime family drama about two orphans in Sim Francisco
Ikiru Shinu – a dark horror anime following the survivors of a global calamity trying to rebuild society
Sim Francisco – an anthology series of people living in the shared universe of “Sim Francisco,” where several of the shows take place
United Flavors of America – a cartoon political satire of U.S. politics in 2024
The Prize – a spaceship-set story about spacefaring explorers encountering aliens
Hutzpa! – Bernie, a curmudgeonly widower, checks himself into a rundown senior home, where the misfit residents show him that he may be the one who’s got some learning to do.
Shadows over Shinjuku – a 1930s-set anime detective noir drama
Thistle Gulch – a Western town with dark secrets
Hutzpa!, Exit Valley, Pixels, Sim Francisco, and What We Leave Behind are all series set in the virtual world of Sim-Francisco.
“The vision is to be the Netflix of AI,” says chief executive Edward Saatchi. “Maybe you finish all of the episodes of a show you’re watching and you click the button to make another episode. You can say what it should be about or you can let the AI make it itself.” “Generating a new TV show should be as easy as browsing Netflix for a show,” says Philipp Maas, co-creator of Showrunner.
The Launch
As part of the launch on May 30, 2024, Showrunner released two episodes of Exit Valley. It is a Silicon Valley satire starring iconic figures like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Sam Altman. The show is an animated comedy targeting 22 episodes in its first season, some made by Fable and the rest by users. They are selected by a jury of filmmakers and creatives.
For example, you’re watching Exit Valley and then type:
‘The characters in this entertainment industry satire learn that they are part of an AI-generated content drive designed specifically to destroy the entertainment industry, and the satire explodes their heads.’
That’s what the next episode will be.
From anime to Pixar style to the cutout style of South Park, this text-to-episode system has a variety to work with. Users can join the waitlist for a free testing version of the platform, which will likely last until the end of the year. However, the tech is limited solely to animation and doesn’t have the capability to create live-action shots yet.
Threat To Entertainment?
While South Park had its flaws, but for someone not viewing it closely, it can be fairly convincing. And we have seen how AI can improve at a frightening pace. This Showrunner tech could clearly go one of two ways. It can end up giving birth to a whole new AI-based streaming industry. But it can also end up being a threat to creators whose labour could be undermined.
It’s one of the things that led to the Hollywood strikes last year. Even if Showrunner doesn’t become a mainstream success, the entertainment industry might just co-opt this technology wholesale. A studio could use Showrunner to generate movie plots, which can then be finessed by human experts.
The platform could either serve as a testament to the power of human-AI collaboration or a cautionary tale about the risks of relying too heavily on AI in the creative process. Regardless of the outcome, Showrunner is sure to spark important conversations about the future of entertainment in the age of AI.
