Fable Studio Launches Platform for User-Generated AI TV Shows

Showrunner is a new platform that allows users to generate TV episodes using AI technology. 

Emmy-award winning Fable Studio, the innovative studio known for its popular AI-generated South Park clips, is launching a new streaming platform that lets users create their own shows using artificial intelligence. The platform, called Showrunner, allows users to generate episodes from simple prompts and provides tools to control dialogue, characters, and shot types.

The goal of Showrunner is to write, voice, and animate AI-generated TV shows. This announcement comes amidst ongoing debates about AI's role in the entertainment industry, particularly its ability to ease production processes and the controversial use of copyrighted materials in AI training. Last year, Fable showcased an AI-generated South Park episode during Hollywood’s historic writers’ and actors’ strikes, highlighting the possibilities of AI in content creation.

Edward Saatchi, CEO of Fable, envisions Showrunner as "the Netflix of AI." He describes a future where viewers, after finishing a show, can generate new episodes with the click of a button. Users can either provide a specific prompt or let the AI handle the creation process entirely.

Currently, users can join a waitlist for a free test version of Showrunner, expected to continue until the end of the year. The initial launch features 10 animated shows, primarily created with AI tools except for music and certain transitions. These include Exit Valley, a satire on Silicon Valley in the style of South Park; Ikiru Shinu, a horror anime about survivors of a global disaster; and Sim Francisco, an anthology set in a shared universe.

Showrunner's technology is limited to animation for now, without having the capacity for live-action content just yet. The platform’s users are enticed to create original episodes of these shows, with the best submissions to be selected in the official series catalog. Selected creators will receive a lump-sum payment and potential revenue sharing if a show is picked up by a streaming service. The platform allows users to piece together scenes to create full-length episodes, with prompts ranging from a few words to over 100, and offers editing tools for dialogue, shots, and scene flow.

Saatchi emphasizes that the platform can understand and develop the core conflict of an episode, or users can specify particular scenes. Fable aims to keep costs low by leveraging user-generated content.

The launch of Showrunner underscores the anxiety within the creative industry about AI's potential to replace traditional labor. As the technology proves its market viability, union protections against AI may become increasingly crucial.

Exit Valley, one of the flagship shows, satirizes tech magnates like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk. While its first episode may be a bit rocky, it showcases a comprehensible storyline and occasional sharpness, hinting at AI's growing capabilities in content creation.

Operated through Fable's AI model developed after open-source AI systems from OpenAI and Stable Diffusion, Showrunner represents a significant step in AI-driven media. Last year, Fable released nine short AI-generated South Park episodes from short prompts, demonstrating the system's potential.

Saatchi asserts that the AI is trained on publicly available data and emphasizes the originality of the output. Despite concerns about the use of copyrighted materials, he believes the quality of the content will ultimately determine the technology's value.