Artificial intelligence (AI) technology has been rapidly advancing, and the next big step might be instant videos. One company at the forefront of this development is Runway, which is set to launch its service to a select group of testers this week (visit their website here: https://research.runwayml.com/gen2). This new technology could change the way filmmakers and digital artists work, as well as make it even more difficult to determine what is true online.
Several big players, such as Microsoft and Google, are also in the competition to develop new varieties of AI systems that could be as revolutionary as web browsers or the iPhone. Runway’s video-generation technology is an example of generative AI, which can quickly produce text, images, and sounds.
Although the first video-generation systems were introduced by Google and Meta last year, they were not made available to the general public because of concerns that they could be used to disseminate false information. However, Runway’s CEO, Cristobal Valenzuela, believes that the technology is too vital to remain in a research lab. The videos generated by the system are only four seconds long, and they can be choppy and indistinct. However, with the right cues, the technology can create videos that demonstrate the direction in which it is headed. Runway’s system learns by examining digital material such as pictures, videos, and captions that describe what those pictures show.
Researchers are optimistic that they can quickly advance and broaden the capabilities of this type of technology by training it on ever-larger volumes of data. Soon, experts believe that it will be able to produce polished short films with dialogue and music.
While this new technology could be a game-changer for the film and digital art industries, it also has the potential to be misused. False material could be quickly and effectively disseminated, making it even more challenging to determine what is true. As with any new technology, it is crucial to consider the potential risks and benefits carefully.
