Imagine a TV show created entirely with artificial intelligence (AI), from script to animation. That’s the premise behind Showrunner, a streaming service in development, which lets users create their own AI TV shows, and view others’ creations.
While it sounds like a bizarre concept and could potentially run into copyright issues with AI art, there’s already a South Park-inspired five-minute short using Showrunner’s AI tech, which is ironic, given the show has an episode poking fun at it. The AI episode switches between various art styles with little consistency, and it’s certainly a demonstration of what artificial intelligence can do, but not what it should be used for.
Users just have to input a prompt, and the AI will do the rest, with CEO Edward Saatchi saying “The vision is to be the Netflix of AI … 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.”
The service will take a year to be fully ready, but until then, Showrunner is running an early access beta test, with 50,000 people currently on the waitlist. Users who want to skip the line will have to help populate the platform with AI TV shows ahead of its release, with a form available online.
Will AI take over the livelihoods of artists, or could it inspire artists to create despite technology encroaching into their territory? The AI debate rages on.
Trinity is a geek who enjoys watching anime, superhero and Sci-Fi movies and TV shows. She enjoys gaming (however has terrible gacha luck) and creates cool homebrew campaigns in her free time. She’s always up for a new adventure — with a cosy jacket and a good book in hand.
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