TL;DR:
- San Francisco startup Fable has introduced Showrunner AI technology, SHOW-1, capable of generating new episodes of TV shows with personalized narratives.
- The AI Showrunner handles writing, producing, directing, casting, editing, voicing, and animating episodes, resembling the style of South Park.
- Fable has released AI episodes of South Park to showcase the technology’s potential.
- The company aims to explore original intellectual properties (IP) and plans to announce simulations with attached AI TV shows in various genres.
- Fable envisions a future where fans can participate by creating their own episodes and competing to produce the best content.
- The technology opens possibilities for personalized content creation, allowing fans to immerse themselves in their favorite shows.
- Fable is extending access to AI researchers to develop multi-agent simulations for ongoing TV shows.
- The AI Showrunner is a tool to bring human ideas to life, not a co-author, and should not be considered literary material.
- Concerns arise regarding the impact of AI on the Hollywood industry, and clear assurances are needed.
- The AI Showrunner technology has potential implications for studios, artistic expression, and independent creators.
Main AI News:
San Francisco-based startup Fable, renowned for its groundbreaking project called The Simulation, has made a significant stride forward with the unveiling of its latest innovation, Showrunner AI technology—dubbed SHOW-1. This cutting-edge technology enables the generation of brand new TV show episodes with you as the protagonist.
Generative AI has been making remarkable strides over the past six months, and Fable’s timing couldn’t be more intriguing, considering the ongoing strike by Hollywood writers and actors. As an esteemed company that has already secured two Emmys and a Peabody award, Fable has now published a research paper that outlines the immense potential of its AI Showrunner Agents. These agents possess the capability to write, produce, direct, cast, edit, voice, and animate entire TV episodes.
According to Fable CEO Edward Saatchi, the AI Showrunner’s core function is to create episodes reminiscent of the iconic South Park series. The AI Showrunner takes care of everything—from dialogue to animation, voices, and editing. For TV episodes, it can either generate episodes independently or create them based on a two-sentence prompt provided by the user. Saatchi proudly asserts, “People said AI can’t tell a story. Well, it can.”
To exemplify the technology’s prowess, Saatchi’s team has already released AI-generated episodes of South Park. These episodes serve as a preview of the immense potential of the AI Showrunner. Saatchi envisions a world where fans can immerse themselves in their favorite shows, create new episodes, and compete to produce the most exceptional content ever seen. Furthermore, Saatchi envisions the AI Showrunner as a tool for creators to develop their own original shows.
Notably, Saatchi took on the role of a character in one of the South Park episodes, where he engaged in a Fatal Attraction-style affair with Cartman. Another episode, titled Westland Chronicles, was entirely generated based on a simple text prompt written by Saatchi. In Westland Chronicles, researchers from the fictitious ‘Bizney’ research organization attempt to entertain America’s children using AI, leading to disastrous consequences that provoke a national scandal and elicit retaliation from the Writers Guild of America (WGA).
Regarding the rights to South Park episodes, Saatchi clarifies that they are not releasing the Showrunner commercially nor engaging in discussions with the creators of South Park. Instead, they used South Park to provide a comparison between a high-quality human show and an AI-generated show. However, Fable plans to announce several original IP Simulations accompanied by AI TV shows later this year, including a space exploration sci-fi simulation, a satire of Silicon Valley simulation, and a detective simulation.
Saatchi’s enthusiasm for technology extends beyond producing new episodes; he desires to star in the shows he loves. “Not only do I want to be able to create new episodes of shows that I love, I’d like to be in shows that I love. I’d like to be in Star Trek as an ensign or I’d like to be in South Park,” expressed Saatchi.
To explore the potential of personalized content creation, Fable also developed an episode featuring me, following a similar text prompt and with my consent. Since the company doesn’t intend to profit from these episodes, they anticipate no legal issues from the owners of South Park. Saatchi believes that entertainment companies could embrace this technology, enabling fans to generate personalized content based on their favorite intellectual properties. While Hollywood has traditionally frowned upon such endeavors, even pursuing legal action against fans, Saatchi believes the times are changing and that this could open up a new revenue stream. Saatchi envisions a world where fans immerse themselves in their favorite shows, create new episodes, and compete to produce the best content ever seen.
Fable is now extending access to the technology to AI researchers, encouraging them to explore the development of multi-agent simulations that power ongoing TV shows. However, Saatchi emphasizes that AI-generated material should not be considered literary works and that the AI Showrunner serves as a valuable tool for human creators to bring their ideas to life, rather than a credible co-author in its own right.
Saatchi acknowledges that the release of this technology raises concerns in the midst of the ongoing strikes by Hollywood writers and actors. He recognizes that AI poses a genuine threat to the industry and calls for clear assurances from Hollywood regarding the use of AI. In a disclaimer accompanying the South Park episode, Fable acknowledges that the celebrity voices in the AI-generated content are “poorly generated” and states that it is solely for research purposes.
Saatchi highlights that the AI Showrunner technology has multiple facets. While studios could potentially utilize it to undermine artistic expression, it can also empower writer-directors to bring their original scripts to the screen without the need for exorbitant budgets and extensive teams. With Fable leading the way, the future of TV shows holds exciting possibilities where you, the viewer, can become the star.
Conclusion:
Fable’s introduction of Showrunner AI technology signifies a significant advancement in the TV industry. By allowing users to become the stars of personalized TV shows, the technology enhances viewer engagement and offers new opportunities for content creation. While concerns and negotiations about AI’s impact on Hollywood persist, this innovative technology has the potential to transform the market by empowering fans, studios, and independent creators to explore new frontiers in storytelling and entertainment.
