Fable Studio, an Emmy-award-winning company, is known for its innovative work in interactive media. Their newest project, Showrunner, promises to revolutionize how viewers engage with content. The platform boasts AI technology that can write, voice act, and animate entire episodes of shows. Initially, users can watch AI-generated series and even create their own content. They’ll have the ability to control various aspects of the show, including dialogue, characters, and even the type of shots used.

This development marks a deeper foray by the tech industry into Hollywood. The use of AI tools in content creation is controversial. While some see it as a way to streamline production, others worry it could lead to job losses and undermine the work of human creators. There are also concerns about AI using copyrighted material in its training data.

Last year, during a period of labor strikes in Hollywood, Fable caused a stir by releasing an AI-generated episode of South Park. The episode, though mocked by some for its comedic shortcomings, was seen by others as a glimpse into the future where viewers could actively participate in shaping content. It also highlighted the potential threat AI poses to creative jobs if widely adopted.

Fable’s CEO, Edward Saatchi, has ambitious plans for Showrunner. He envisions it becoming the “Netflix of AI,” where users can seamlessly generate new episodes of their favorite shows. Imagine finishing a show and simply clicking a button to create another episode. You can even specify the plot or let the AI take the reins entirely.

Currently, users can join a waitlist for a free trial version of Showrunner, expected to launch by the end of the year. The platform will feature 10 animated shows across various genres, primarily created using AI tools (excluding music and some transitions). One show, “Exit Valley,” satirizes Silicon Valley in the animation style of South Park. Another, “Ikiru Shinu,” is a dark horror anime. There’s also “Sim Francisco,” an anthology series set in a shared universe where several other shows take place.

It’s important to note that the current technology is limited to animation and cannot create live-action content yet.

Fable is encouraging users to create their own episodes. The best user-generated content will be added to the official show library when Showrunner fully launches. Winners will receive a cash prize and potential revenue sharing if their episode gets picked up by another streamer. Saatchi explains that the platform allows users to create scenes that can be stitched together into a full episode. Prompts can be as short as a few words or as detailed as a hundred words. Users can also edit dialogue, scene flow, and even the types of shots used.

By leveraging user-generated content, Fable is looking to cut costs. However, this model raises concerns among creators who fear that AI could eventually replace them entirely. If AI can handle all aspects of content creation, the value and demand for human creative labor could significantly decrease. Union protections, some of which currently restrict the use of AI tools, might become even more crucial if AI-generated content gains traction.

Fable’s “Exit Valley” takes a humorous jab at tech giants like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, portraying them as oblivious figures using AI to unintentionally destroy society. While the first episode might feel a bit rough around the edges (some might even call it a cheap South Park rip-off), it has a clear storyline and delivers occasional witty moments.

Saatchi is confident about the future of AI-generated content. “AI can definitely create better episodes of The Simpsons today,” he claims.

Showrunner is powered by Fable’s AI model, built upon open-source AI systems from OpenAI and Stable Diffusion. Last year, the company released a research paper showcasing technology capable of writing, producing, directing, editing, voicing, and animating entire episodes based on a large content library. As a demonstration, they created nine short AI-generated episodes of South Park using a brief prompt.

Saatchi acknowledges that the system is trained on “publicly available data.” When pressed about the widespread concerns regarding AI companies using copyrighted material to train their systems, he downplays the issue. “What matters to me is the originality of the output,” he says. “The content itself will determine whether this technology is worthwhile.”