TLDR: Amazon’s Alexa Fund has invested in Fable, an AI startup, which has publicly launched Showrunner, a platform enabling users to create and direct their own animated TV shows using AI prompts. Dubbed the ‘Netflix of AI,’ Showrunner aims to transform passive viewing into interactive storytelling, with plans for licensed content from major Hollywood studios.
Amazon’s Alexa Fund has made an undisclosed investment in Fable, a San Francisco-based artificial intelligence startup, coinciding with the public launch of its innovative platform, Showrunner. Billed as the ‘Netflix of AI,’ Showrunner empowers users to generate and direct their own animated television shows simply by typing prompts, marking a significant step towards interactive and user-driven entertainment.
Showrunner operates on Fable’s proprietary AI model, SHOW-2, which integrates various AI capabilities for scripting, directing, editing, sound design, and animation, eliminating the need for manual video editing. Users can customize characters, rewrite dialogue, remix existing episodes, and even insert themselves into shows using uploaded photos and custom voice styles. The platform’s initial focus is on animated content, a strategic choice by Fable to avoid the intense competition among larger AI companies vying for photorealistic video generation.
Edward Saatchi, CEO and co-founder of Fable, who previously co-founded Oculus Story Studios (acquired by Meta), envisions a profound shift in entertainment consumption. Saatchi stated, ‘Hollywood streaming services are about to become two-way entertainment: audiences watching a season of a show [and] loving it will now be able to make new episodes with a few words and become characters with a photo.’ He further added, ‘Our relationship to entertainment will be totally different in the next five years,’ describing this new format as ‘playable television.’ Jacob Madden, Head of Technology at Fable, highlighted the platform’s creative potential, noting, ‘It has been incredibly exciting to see how Showrunner ignites creativity in people,’ and that it ‘allows showrunners to experiment with their stories in real-time, constantly iterating and refining their vision.’
Showrunner has already demonstrated considerable traction. During its closed alpha test phase, it attracted 10,000 users, and its waitlist has grown to over 100,000. Fable previously gained viral attention with nine AI-generated episodes inspired by ‘South Park,’ which amassed over 80 million views online. This earlier success, notably during the SAG-AFTRA strike where AI’s role in creative industries was a key negotiation point, underscored the platform’s potential, though those clips were experimental and created without the permission of the ‘South Park’ creators.
Also Read:
- The Future Unfolds: Generative AI’s Impact on Netflix and the Creative Landscape
- AI Innovations Reshaping Fashion: Startups Drive Personalized Style and Retailer Savings
The platform launched with original ‘story worlds’ such as ‘Exit Valley,’ a satirical comedy set in ‘Sim Francisco’ that lampoons tech personalities like Elon Musk and Sam Altman, and ‘Everything Is Fine,’ a Tim Burton-esque series. While currently free to use, Fable plans to introduce paid plans later in 2025, expected to cost between $10 and $20 per month for ‘credits’ that enable users to generate new content. Looking ahead, Fable is actively pursuing partnerships with major Hollywood studios, including Disney, to license official characters and universes, which could pave the way for fan-made stories using well-known intellectual properties.
