SaaS-based film studio provides avatar ‘actors’ to make instant videos

If you’re dreaming of heading to Hollywood to make it big as a star, you can now add yet another reason to stay home and cling to that day job. A South Korean company named DeepBrain AI has announced the creation of AI Studios, a SaaS-based studio that makes it possible to create films without, as their media advisory spells out, the need to “film in-person or employ real people. ”

The unions for actors, directors, and film creators and directors might be in for a shock because of this.

To make matters worse for Hollywood workers and real estate holders, DeepBrain AI’s  product is available as a cloud service, so anyone can make a film and bypass California-level taxes by logging in from low-rent states that snarky Hollywood insiders used to call “flyover country.”

The tool features 30 new avatar-like “model/actors” that can, unlike almost all pretty faces from the casting agencies, speak fluent English, Korean, Chinese, and Japanese. The company promises that more languages will follow in 2022.

The system uses artificial intelligence to coordinate the motion of the actors with the script. The company promises that an aspiring director will only need to upload the text of the dialog — the AI will take it from there and synthesize the gestures of the arms or legs from a collection of preconfigured movements. There is currently no indication of whether the AI also handles the deep motivation and resonant backstory that fills out each character.

“With AI Studios, I was able to make a video using AI announcer Kim Hyun-Wook, a famous Korean announcer, without hiring, filming, or spending valuable time on the editing process,” said Cho Byung-hyeon, CEO of the Korean firm Commentary House.

SaaS-based film studio targeted for small and midsize businesses

While the development is a threat for actors at all levels of fame, DeepBrain AI is targeting individuals and smaller businesses. They expect that the AI models will find work adding a bit of life, albeit simulated, to what ordinarily might be dry PowerPoint or Prezi slides for YouTube videos or corporate training sessions.

DeepBrain AI is also partnering with real schools to put the AI models in front of students. The company put beta versions in Sinbong Elementary School in Seoul, Korea, where it was deployed in second and sixth grade. The teachers can share lesson plans and edit the presentations before they’re rendered for the children.

“Our AI tutors augment my lessons through video synthesis that mimics my teaching delivery as well as lesson reviews from other instructors, giving students additional information related to the lesson plan,”  said Hyungjun Yoon, one of the teachers at a Sinbong Elementary School.

Several samples of the AI tutors and are available on YouTube, including videos explaining how AI studios can ease video creation, how to utilize AI kiosks to amplify the next generation of customer engagement, and how AI human technology can assist with company clients and customer service. The current pricing plan will include three levels and a 20% discount for paying annually.