AI studio The Simulation has launched a platform called Showrunner, conceived as the “Netflix of AI,” featuring AI-generated TV shows on-demand. Among the initial lineup are ten AI-manufactured series spanning various genres, including anime, 3D animation, and satirical content. Exit Valley, a spoof of tech culture starring Mark Zuckerberg, is one of the featured shows. Other offerings such as What We Leave Behind and Pixels have come under criticism for their perceived lack of entertainment value and underwhelming AI execution.
Despite its currently underwhelming reception, Showrunner has amassed over 50,000 users on its initial waitlist, and aims to offer these users the chance to create their personalized shows, potentially even earning revenue from successful shows.
The studio behind Showrunner is no newbie to the industry, with several veterans from Pixar, Oculus, and AI businesses forming its core team. Founder Edward Saatchi formerly worked at Oculus before establishing The Simulation, which had previously attracted attention for their unofficial South Park parodies created by AI. These parodies generated over eight million views and drew the spotlight from major studios like Netflix, Fox, and Paramount.
The launch of Showrunner taps into a future where AI-generated content is the norm. However, it also raises a red flag about the future of human creativity in the world of entertainment. Showrunner, despite its current mediocre execution, could potentially provide an expansive pool of creative prospects. This might prompt fans to experiment with alternate storylines and incorporate their spins into their favorite shows. As enticing as it seems, this reality brings forth a fear of obsoleting human writers and actors, replacing them with artificial intelligence. Nonetheless, Showrunner’s current status seems a long way off from posing such a threat.
