Is AI video just a prequel? Runway's CEO thinks world models are next
AI-generated video has gone from novelty to creative tool in AI-generated video has gone from novelty to creative tool almost overnight, and Runway has a front-row seat to the shift. The New York-based company has raised close to $860 million at a $5.3 billion valuation, and its models are going toe-to-toe with the most well-funded labs in the world, including Google and OpenAI.
And the technology goes way beyond making videos: it's now pushing into general world models with applications in gaming, robotics, and maybe something closer to general intelligence.
On this episode of TechCrunch's Equity podcast, host Rebecca Bellan sits down with co-founder and CEO Cristobal Valenzuela to talk about where video generation goes from here, and why Runway's ambitions now reach well beyond Hollywood.
Listen to the full episode to hear about:
Why Valenzuela thinks the real constraint on filmmaking has never been technology, and what changes when it is
How Runway thinks about world models differently than Google and other labs building in the space
What "nonlinear media" means, and why real-time video generation opens up use cases way beyond content creation
Why Valenzuela pushes back on the idea that AI companions are “inherently dystopian”
Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:56 Can AI really replace Hollywood?
04:18 Why "AI slop" fears miss the point
08:23 Research lab, software company, or creative studio?
13:42 From video generation to world models, explained
17:36 Omni models and multimodal training
17:50 The three pillars: linear media, non-linear media, physical AI
19:31 Real-time video and the "Characters" product
22:33 Are AI companions inherently dystopian?
25:59 Physical AI and robotics
28:35 Where growth is coming from: enterprise and prosumer
29:31 Outro
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The Next 8 Months in AI Video Will Change Film Forever - The Story
Cristóbal Valenzuela co-founded Runway to rethink how movies are made, and now his technology is spreading across Hollywood. Cristóbal sits down with Oz to discuss how far AI media tools have come in just the past six years, and why the next leap forward could happen even faster than anyone expects. He also addresses many artists' AI fears, by saying that film has always evolved alongside technological breakthroughs and that AI is simply the next chapter in that long history. And finally, Cristóbal and Oz explore Runway's next frontier after Hollywood and why video models might be the key to training humanoid robots.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Engineering Behind the World’s Most Advanced Video AI
Is video AI a viable path toward AGI?
Runway ML founder Cristóbal Valenzuela joins Lukas Biewald just after Gen 4.5 reached the #1 position on the Video Arena Leaderboard, according to community voting on Artificial Analysis.
Lukas examines how a focused research team at Runway outpaced much larger organizations like Google and Meta in one of the most compute-intensive areas of machine learning.
Cristóbal breaks down the architecture behind Gen 4.5 and explains the role of “taste” in model development. He details the engineering improvements in motion and camera control that solve long-standing issues like the restrictive “tripod look,” and shares why video models are starting to function as simulation engines with applications beyond media generation.
Connect with us here:
Cristóbal Valenzuela: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cvalenzuelab
Runway: https://www.linkedin.com/company/runwayml/
Lukas Biewald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lbiewald/
Weights & Biases: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wandb/
Is AI Hollywood’s Newest Star? Runway AI’s Vision for the Future of Film
AI video generators are making storytelling more affordable — and one day, the tools may allow anyone with enough creativity to become a filmmaker. But the same technology can power convincing deepfakes that undermine our shared reality and destabilize our politics.
Cristobal Valenzuela, the co-founder and CEO of Runway AI, joins Kara to discuss how its tools are disrupting the advertising and film industries, and why Hollywood studios might not want to admit how much they are using them.
They also talk about how Runway is holding its own against (and warding off takeover advances from) much bigger tech players, and the AI video industry's responsibility in preventing deepfakes and political manipulation. Plus: Kara becomes a Top Gun pilot! Watch the video on the On With Kara Swisher YouTube page.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.
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Hollywood’s hottest AI partner, with Runway’s Cristóbal Valenzuela
AI tools are disrupting all types of creative content, and Runway AI is a pioneer making major waves in Hollywood. It’s partnering with the likes of Disney and Netflix to revolutionize production. Runway’s co-founder & CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela joins Rapid Response to dissect the company’s breakneck growth, the risks and responsibilities of AI tool makers, and how AI is redefining both business expectations and our notion of creativity. Cristóbal also reveals why he rebuffed advances from Meta for a highly lucrative acquisition, and how AI video is just a stepping stone to an entirely new media format — one more expansive and transportive than we can realistically comprehend today.
Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/
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#172 Cristóbal Valenzuela: Can AI Revolutionize How We Create Art?
Join host Craig Smith on episode #172 of Eye on AI as he sits down with Cris Valenzuela, co-founder and CEO of Runway, an applied AI research company shaping the next era of art, entertainment and human creativity
Cris shares insights into the origins of Runway, highlighting how the company supports creators across various domains, from filmmaking to music production, by leveraging the power of AI.
We dive deep into the fascinating world of generative models like stable diffusion, discussing their development, applications, and the future of creative expression through AI.Discover how Runway's AI tools are breaking new ground in image and video generation, transforming artistic workflows, and opening up unprecedented opportunities for creativity.
We'll also explore the broader implications of AI in art and media, discussing the balance between technological innovation and the preservation of artistic integrity.
Tune in and don't forget to rate us on Apple Podcast and Spotify if you enjoy the episode!
This episode is sponsored by Shopify. Shopify is a commerce platform that allows anyone to set up an online store and sell their products. Whether you're selling online, on social media, or in person, Shopify has you covered on every base. With Shopify you can sell physical and digital products. You can sell services, memberships, ticketed events, rentals and even classes and lessons.
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Craig Smith Twitter: https://twitter.com/craigss
Eye on A.I. Twitter: https://twitter.com/EyeOn_AI
(00:00) Preview and Introduction
(01:56) Cris Valenzuela: Background and Runway's Genesis
(05:48) Understanding Diffusion Models
(08:01) Discussion on Mid Journey and Other Models
(10:19) Open Source vs Proprietary Models
(13:07) Exploring Video Generation Technology
(17:52) Achieving Consistency in Generated Videos
(21:22) Compute Requirements for Training Models
(25:07) Scale and Parameters of Runway's Models
(29:49) Customizing Models for Specific Needs
(33:51) Applicability to AR and VR
(37:32) Runway's User Community and Impact
(40:21) Runway's Best Work
Generative AI in Video and the Future of Storytelling (with Runway CEO Cristobal Valenzuela)
We sit down with RunwayML’s CEO Cristobal Valenzuela to discuss the incredible tools they’re bringing to film and video creators (including last year’s Best Picture “Everything Everywhere All at Once” from A24), and the history + current state of the “visual” branch of generative AI. We cover how they’ve gone to market with both creators and enterprises, the potential for much more radical future use cases, and the company’s recent $141m strategic raise from Google, Nvidia + Salesforce and the context of the current AI fundraising landscape. Tune in!
Links:
Runway
Follow Cris on Twitter
Sponsors:
Sierra: https://bit.ly/acquiredsierra
Building the future of VFX and video editing with Runway CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela | E1724
Runway CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela joins Jason to discuss their suite of generative AI video editing tools (3:03), Runway's AI Film Festival and the rapid evolution of filmmaking (22:21), Runway's ability to lower the barrier to entry for aspiring filmmakers (36:05), and more!
(0:00) Jason kicks off the show
(3:03) What is Runway?
(6:39) Runway's text-to-video demo
(11:08) Clumio - Start a free backup, or sign up for a demo at https://clumio.com/twist
(12:08) Latent Diffusion paper
(16:30) The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
(20:51) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://Squarespace.com/TWIST
(22:21) Runway's AI Film Festival
(29:08) The rapid evolution of filmmaking
(31:59) Favorite directors and films
(36:05) Lowering the barrier of entry to filmmaking
(41:20) Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub - Apply in 5 minutes for six figures in discounts at http://aka.ms/thisweekinstartups
(42:51) Driving costs of filmmaking to zero
(44:57) Training Runway's data set & Fan Fiction
(52:07) Runway's generative capabilities
(54:30) Safety concerns
(58:20) The challenges of operating Runway
FOLLOW Cristóbal: https://twitter.com/c_valenzuelab
FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis
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What does AI-powered content creation look like? with Runway ML’s Cristobal Valenzuela
For a long time, AI-generated images and video felt like a fun toy. Cool, but not something that would bring value to professional content creators. But now we are at the exciting moment where machine learning tools have the power to unlock more creative ideas.
This week on the podcast, Sarah Guo and Elad Gil talk to Cristobal Valenzuela, a technologist, artist and software developer. He’s also the CEO and co-founder of Runway, a web-based tool that allows creatives to use machine learning to generate and edit video. You've probably already seen Runway's work in action on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert and in the feature film Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Show Links:
Watch Cris Valenzuela’s 2018 thesis presentation at New York University’s ITP program.
Read how Runway is used on the Late Show and in Everything Everywhere All at Once on the Runway Blog.
Sign up for new podcasts every week. Email feedback to show@no-priors.com
Follow us on Twitter: @NoPriorsPod | @Saranormous | @EladGil | @c_valenzuelab
Show Notes:
[1:50] - Cris’s background and how he doesn’t see barriers between art and machine learning
[6:46] - How Runway works as a tool
[8:36] - The origins and early iterations of Runway
[12:22] - Product sequencing and roadmapping in a fast growing space
[15:43] - Runway as an applied research company
[19:10] - Common pitfalls for founders to avoid
[22:35] - How Runway structures teams for effective collaboration
[24:22] - Learnings from how Runway built Greenscreen product
[28:01] - Building a long-term and sustainable business
[32:34] - Finding Product Market Fit
[36:34] - The influence of AI tools in art as an artistic movement
Cristóbal Valenzuela — The Next Generation of Content Creation and AI
Cristóbal Valenzuela is co-founder and CEO of Runway ML, a startup that's building the future of AI-powered content creation tools. Runway's research areas include diffusion systems for image generation.
Cris gives a demo of Runway's video editing platform. Then, he shares how his interest in combining technology with creativity led to Runway, and where he thinks the world of computation and content might be headed to next. Cris and Lukas also discuss Runway's tech stack and research.
Show notes (transcript and links): http://wandb.me/gd-cristobal-valenzuela
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⏳ Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:06 How Runway uses ML to improve video editing
6:04 A demo of Runway’s video editing capabilities
13:36 How Cris entered the machine learning space
18:55 Cris’ thoughts on the future of ML for creative use cases
28:46 Runway’s tech stack
32:38 Creativity, and keeping humans in the loop
36:15 The potential of audio generation and new mental models
40:01 Outro
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🎥 Runway's AI Film Festival is accepting submissions through January 23! 🎥
They are looking for art and artists that are at the forefront of AI filmmaking. Submissions should be between 1-10 minutes long, and a core component of the film should include generative content
📍 https://aiff.runwayml.com/
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📝 Links
📍 "High-Resolution Image Synthesis with Latent Diffusion Models" (Rombach et al., 2022)", the research paper behind Stable Diffusion: https://research.runwayml.com/publications/high-resolution-image-synthesis-with-latent-diffusion-models
📍 Lexman Artificial, a 100% AI-generated podcast: https://twitter.com/lexman_ai
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Connect with Cris and Runway:
📍 Cris on Twitter: https://twitter.com/c_valenzuelab
📍 Runway on Twitter: https://twitter.com/runwayml
📍 Careers at Runway: https://runwayml.com/careers/
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💬 Host: Lukas Biewald
📹 Producers: Riley Fields, Angelica Pan
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