The end is nye as Fable details Showrunner, a streaming platform built from user-generated AI content

Last Updated on June 3, 2024

It appears that we’re living in the worst timeline as generative artificial intelligence continues to transform the entertainment industry. As AI insists on muddying the waters for creative content made by flesh-and-blood artists, Fable Studio officially announced Showrunner on Thursday, an AI platform that can write, voice, and animate episodes of shows it carries. The goal of the service is to allow users to watch AI-generated series and create content from those assets. In other words, users can create dialogue, characters, and professional-grade staging for dynamic camera angles and other features seen in popular content.

Last year, Fable shared an example of the Showrunner tech by creating an original episode of South Park using the AI platform’s unique tools and tech. The result is uncanny and, quite frankly, terrifying from a creative standpoint. The 11-minute demo highlights Showrunner’s ability to generate dialogue, animate characters, and present what looks and feels like an unaired episode of the long-running animated comedy series.

“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.”

Potential users of Showrunner can join a waitlist to get their paws on a free testing version of the AI-generating program. In addition to announcing Showrunner formally, Fable teased ten animated shows made using the program’s toolset. One show is Exit Valley, a Silicon Valley-like comedy with South Park vibes. Another is Ikiru Shinu, a horror-themed anime following the survivors of a global calamity. Then there’s Sim Francisco, an anthology series of people living in the shared universe of “Sim Francisco,” where Showrunner’s animated content converges. Showrunner will include the best user-generated episodes with pay incentives and revenue sharing (if a streamer picks up the show) to encourage users to make their own content.

“AI can definitely make better episodes of The Simpsons today,” Saatchi says.

Did we learn nothing from the Skynet debacle? Where does the foundation for this AI-generated content come from? Can artificial intelligence create content that is as entertaining as real artists and creators? If this is the future of film, you can have it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must yell at some clouds. In the comments section below, let us know what you think about Showrunner and the grim future of AI-generated entertainment.