Ever thought you had a better idea for a TV show episode or movie you just watched? Ever wondered what your version of “Game of Thrones” season 8 would look like? And what if you could create your own TV shows and movies using generative AI software like Veo 3, Adobe Firefly, or Runway? Well, you shouldn’t be surprised to hear that other people in the AI industry are wondering the same thing.
Fable’s Showrunner is a service that already dubs itself the “Netflix of AI.” Still in the early stages, Showrunner will let users create new content using its in-house AI models and stream the content available on the platform. And, who knows, future versions of Showrunner might actually be used by well-known names in the entertainment industry to offer users sprawling universes of interactive content centered around some of the hottest properties in Hollywood.
After all, Netflix has just confirmed it started using generative AI software for the production of an original TV show. The streamer used AI to craft a complex VFX scene for a new show. More importantly, the Amazon Alexa Fund is backing the San Francisco startup, having invested an undisclosed sum in Fable. Amazon owns its own streaming platform, Prime Video.
How the Netflix of AI works
As exciting as it may sound, the Netflix of AI is in its infancy. Showrunner is currently in alpha testing, so you might have to wait a while until you can access it, especially the creative part. Sign-ups occur in a Discord channel, which had almost 18,000 users at the time of writing. You can’t watch AI-created content on the platform unless you join the Discord.
Showrunner is free to use for now, but the company plans to charge creators between $10 and $20 per month for credits that allow them to make hundreds of TV scenes. The claim comes from a Variety interview with Fable CEO Edward Saatchi.
Also, Showrunner is focused on AI-generated animated content for now, rather than live-action TV shows and movies. Powering it all is Fable’s new SHOW-2 AI model. The company generated episodes based on the popular show “South Park” last year with the SHOW-1 model, with the blessing of the original series’ creators. The nine episodes received 80 million views. The technology still can’t be used to create full TV shows, however. Saatchi told Variety that the AI is “the strongest” at deeply episodic shows. Characters will reset after every episode.
What shows are available on Showrunner?
Fable also made a “Family Guy”-inspired animated TV show set in “Sim Francisco” called “Exit Valley.” The show features versions of real-life AI leaders, including Sam Altman and Elon Musk, and it’s available to stream on Showrunner now. The Netflix of AI also has a second “original” called “Everything is Fine.” A husband and wife fight while going to Ikea, but end up being separated when they are transported to an alternate dimension. Showrunner users will let users create their own stories based on these shows.
Fable has more ambitious plans than running its own streaming and AI show creation service. The startup is in talks with Disney about a partnership for licensing IP for the Showrunner platform. “The ‘Toy Story of AI’ isn’t just going to be a cheap ‘Toy Story.’ Our idea is that ‘Toy Story of AI’ would be playable, with millions of new scenes, all owned by Disney,” Saatchi told Variety.
The CEO described to the San Francisco Chronicle a scenario where a studio like Disney would use the technology to develop a subscription-based service that would allow “Star Wars” fans to create their own stories. Back to “Exit Valley,” Saatchi also told the Chronicle that Fable is targeting a deal with a major streamer for the AI show, which would include interactive features.
