AI startup, Runway, and Hollywood movie studio, Lionsgate, have announced that they are partnering to build and train a new AI video generation model, and fine-tuned using Lionsgate’s proprietary film catalog.
The companies bill the project as a way to, “help Lionsgate Studios, its filmmakers, directors and other creative talent augment their work,” per an announcement post. There are very few details about how the model will actually operate, beyond reportedly generating “cinematic video” that can then be further refined and iterated upon using the rest of Runway’s AI tool suite.
“Several of our filmmakers are already excited about its potential applications to their pre-production and post-production process," Lionsgate Vice Chair Michael Burns said in a press statement. “We view AI as a great tool for augmenting, enhancing and supplementing our current operations.”
“Lionsgate has an incredible creative team and a clear vision for how AI can help their work – we’re excited to help bring their ideas to life,” Runway co-founder and CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela said, echoing Burns' sentiments. “The history of art is the history of technology and these new models are part of our continuous efforts to build transformative mediums for artistic and creative expression.”
Runway is also reportedly considering ways to license its models to individual creators for use as templates in building itsown proprietary models, but did not state a timeline for that decision. There’s also no word on whether the filmmakers and directors, whose movies comprises Lionsgate’s catalog, will need to sign off before their works are leveraged as model training fodder.
It’s been a busy week for Runway. Prior to Tuesday’s announcement, the company also unveiled its Gen-3 API, enabling developers to incorporate its video generation capabilities into third party apps, systems, and devices. The move sets Runway apart from competitors likeOpenAI’s Soraor Kuaishou Technology’s Kling, as one of the few commercial video generators offering an API.
The company is only making its Gen-3 Alpha Turbo model, which is not quite as powerful as the flagship, Gen-3 alpha, available through the API. The API is currently rolling out primarily to “large teams and organizations” who can provide feedback, so it will be a couple of weeks before the API sees a wider release.
