Amazon is betting on artificial intelligence being able to make great TV shows. That is why the tech giant on Wednesday invested in Fable Studio, the Bay Area-based company behind Showrunner, a platform that creates AI-generated TV shows based on what users type into its prompt.
Fable CEO Edward Saatchi has called Showrunner the “Netflix of AI,” believing it will be the next hub for not only creators but also for fans to come and watch their go-to programs. Amazon’s undisclosed stake in Fable comes on the same day the company is releasing Showrunner widely to the public, after it had been available on an early access basis.
If Showrunner sounds familiar already, that is because the platform created an AI-version of “South Park” in 2022 (Paramount, as well as show creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, did not participate). The AI “South Park” episodes Showrunner created have since been viewed more than 80 million times, the company said on Wednesday.
Showrunner allows users to create scenes and full episodes of series by typing in a few words about what they want to see; the platform then creates the voices, dialogue and different shots in the scenes, and is able to develop storylines; Showrunner also keeps characters consistent between scenes and episodes, which can run up to 22 minutes long.
Fable is hoping it has its first hit AI-powered TV show ready to go, with the company on Wednesday debuting “Exit Valley,” which Saatchi told TheWrap is a “Family Guy”-style satirical comedy that pokes fun at tech execs like Elon Musk and Sam Altman who live in “Sim Francisco.”
Something else that stands out: “Exit Valley” is a “playable” show where people can add themselves to scenes or make new scenes and episodes based on what they tell Showrunner. Looking ahead, allowing users to tweak their favorite shows is something that will benefit both the rights holders and the fans, Saatchi told TheWrap.
“The terms of service will be very clear: the model provider owns everything that’s generated with the model, because it’s in the story world that they own,” Saatchi said.
He continued: “It’s just money that’s being left on the table, and it’s also an artistic opportunity that’s being left on the table. Meaning, designing a two-hour film is obviously one incredible artistic charge; designing an infinite story world with near-infinite planets and characters and all of that, where you come by and engage with it, that’s a whole other creative challenge.”
Saatchi said Fable is aiming for a licensing deal with a “major streamer” by the end of 2025. He added that Fable will use the new funding to hire more workers, including new staffers from Google’s DeepMind AI division; the San Francisco-based company will also be expanding its team in Los Angeles, where some Fable employees are already based, as it continues to talk to studios.
Wednesday’s announcement comes at a time when the relationship between Hollywood and AI is lukewarm, at best. But there have been signs that studios are warming up to using it, with Netflix on its recent earnings call saying it used the technology to create some visual effects.
Saatchi, in a recent conversation with TheWrap, said he believes AI and playable content is the next step in the evolution of shows and movies — akin to the move from DVDs to streaming. But more than that, he said it offers a new way for Hollywood content to remain culturally significant.
“This might change the relationship between the audience and filmmaker in a way that could be very important, in an era when gaming and social media are quite competitive with film. I want cinema to be the dominant art form for the next 50 years,” he insisted. “And right now, it looks like gaming is on the path to being the dominant arm form. So let’s fight back.”
