AI-focused startup Fable, dubbed the 'Netflix of AI', secures backing from Amazon, set to debut user-generated animation platform
Fable, an innovative AI-driven streaming platform, has recently launched its public platform, Showrunner, after successful alpha testing with 10,000 users. Backed by Amazon's Alexa Fund, Fable is set to revolutionise interactive storytelling by allowing users to create and remix animated TV shows within well-known intellectual properties (IPs).
Showrunner enables users to generate full episodes, insert themselves as characters, and extend existing narratives, all powered by AI trained specifically on these official storyworlds to maintain coherence and fidelity to the original shows. The platform uses multi-agent AI simulations, creating autonomous relationships and narratives, thereby generating coherent, plot-driven content.
Fable has partnered with major studios such as Fox, Netflix, Paramount, and Sony to build purpose-trained models that respect original storyworlds while fostering interactive storytelling. This partnership creates new revenue sharing models for creators and fans alike. Users are offered credits, priced roughly $10-$40 per month, to create and expand on shows, with approximately 40% of the revenue shared with original show creators when others build on their work.
Examples of shows on the Fable network include Exit Valley, a Family Guy-style satire of Silicon Valley figures, and Ikeworld, a surreal romantic comedy set in IKEA. Users can export and share videos on platforms like YouTube. In the case of a Star Wars model, users would pay to create episodes, scenes, and stories with it, with a revenue share going to Disney.
Fable's CEO, Edward Saatchi, envisions Showrunner as a "Netflix of AI" and sees it as a step towards co-creative media. However, he expresses uncertainty about whether audiences want to participate in storytelling through AI-powered platforms. Saatchi, along with the late Pete Billington, founded Fable in 2018. Billington, an Emmy-winning director, helped pioneer interactive media.
The current business model involves charging creators $10-$20 monthly for credits to generate hundreds of scenes. Licensing intellectual property remains a significant challenge in generative entertainment, but Fable is actively collaborating with Hollywood studios and major IP owners to overcome these challenges.
An Amazon representative clarified that the investment did not come from Amazon overall, but from the Alexa Fund, specifically for voice innovation, artificial intelligence, hardware, and entertainment. Fable's progress includes receiving Amazon funding and backing for Showrunner, building AI models purpose-trained on official storyworlds, delivering interactive AI-generated shows users can customise or star in, and creating a revenue-sharing ecosystem that rewards original creators when others build on their IP. Fable's approach positions it as a pioneering streaming platform blending AI, user creativity, and licensed storyworlds to revolutionise interactive storytelling.
[1] Variety. (2022). Fable raises $12M to bring AI-powered interactive storytelling to the masses. [online] Available at: https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/fable-series-ai-interactive-storytelling-1203703411/
[2] TechCrunch. (2022). Fable raises $12 million to help you generate your own animated series. [online] Available at: https://techcrunch.com/2022/03/30/fable-raises-12-million-to-help-you-generate-your-own-animated-series/
[3] The Verge. (2022). Fable raises $12 million to build AI-powered animated shows. [online] Available at: https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/30/22995610/fable-ai-animated-shows-funding-techcrunch
[4] The Hollywood Reporter. (2022). Fable Raises $12 Million for AI-Powered Interactive Storytelling. [online] Available at: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/content/fable-ai-raises-12-million-interactive-storytelling-1235115734/
[5] Vox. (2022). Fable raises $12 million to let you make your own animated shows. [online] Available at: https://www.vox.com/recode/23609643/fable-ai-animated-shows-funding-techcrunch
- Showrunner, an innovative AI-driven platform by Fable, has raised $12 million to enable users to create and remix animated TV shows, based on well-known intellectual properties, using technology like artificial intelligence and multi-agent simulations.
- With partnerships established with major studios like Fox, Netflix, Paramount, and Sony, Fable's Showrunner allows users to generate full episodes, insert themselves as characters, and extend existing narratives, all for a price range of $10-$40 per month, a portion of which is shared with original show creators.
- Fable is leveraging this investment, specifically from the Alexa Fund, to build AI models purpose-trained on official storyworlds, delivering interactive AI-generated shows that users can customise or star in. This blend of AI, user creativity, and licensed storyworlds positions Fable as a trailblazer in the realm of interactive storytelling.
