Latest news with #AIgenerated
TechCrunch
17 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- TechCrunch
Former Googlers AI startup OpenArt now creates ‘brainrot' videos in just one click
AI-generated 'brainrot' videos are popping up all over the internet and getting a lot of attention. Currently gaining traction among younger users, these clips feature wild characters, like a shark wearing sneakers and a ballerina with a cappuccino for a head. One startup driving this trend is OpenArt, founded by two former Google employees in 2022. It touts around 3 million monthly active users. The company recently launched a new 'one-click story' feature in open beta, which allows users to input a single sentence, a script, or even a song and turn it into a one-minute video with a story arc. This can include anything from a light-hearted story for TikTok to more serious content like explainer videos or music videos for YouTube. OpenArt even envisions this feature being used for advertising. With One-Click Story, there are three templates to choose from: Character Vlog, Music Video, or Explainer. For a character vlog, users start by uploading an image of their character and entering a prompt. If a song is uploaded, the software understands the lyrics and creates an animation that aligns with the song's themes, like illustrating flowers blooming in a garden. Users can edit individual clips by revisiting the editor's storyboard mode and tweaking prompts for a more refined result. The platform aggregates over 50 AI models, allowing users to choose their preferred tools, such as DALLE-3, GPT, Imagen, Flux Kontext, and Stable Diffusion. Image Credits:OpenArt The goal of the new feature is to further lower the barrier for becoming an AI creator, a medium that remains immensely popular despite ongoing controversy. While these tools can be beneficial—like using video generators to quickly produce content with original characters and narratives—there are numerous ethical issues to address. These include imitating other artists' styles, intellectual property rights, and the dangers of misuse and creating misinformation. Techcrunch event Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital, Elad Gil — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They're here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don't miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $600+ before prices rise. Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They're here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don't miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $675 before prices rise. San Francisco | REGISTER NOW During testing, we noticed that the Character Vlog option may tread into a grey legal area due to the types of characters it offers—such as Pikachu, SpongeBob, and Super Mario—which could pose risks of intellectual property (IP) infringement. In June, Disney and Universal sued AI firm Midjourney over AI-generated images. Users should be aware that if their videos are found to infringe another's copyright, the video may be taken off social media platforms, and if the user is found to have contributed to the infringement, they can potentially be held liable under copyright law, which can result in legal action from the copyright holder. 'We try to be cautious around the IP infringement,' Coco Mao, co-founder and CEO, told TechCrunch. 'When you upload some IP characters, by default, the models we use will reject them, and it's not able to produce the IP character, but sometimes it slips.' Mao added that the company is open to talking to major IP holders to get licensing for characters. Image Credits:OpenArt One aspect that OpenArt believes sets it apart is its ability to maintain character consistency. It argues that, unlike the average video model that often relies on simple, standalone clips that users have to piece together into a cohesive story, OpenArt aims to ensure that both the visuals and the narrative remain consistent. 'A problem that a lot of AI couldn't really handle well is to have the character consistent in the same video…If you don't have the same character, then it's hard to get immersed in the story,' Mao said. Looking ahead, the company plans to iterate on the one-click feature by allowing users to create videos featuring conversations between two different characters. Another plan on the roadmap is developing a mobile app. OpenArt operates on a credit-based system. It offers four plans, with the most basic costing $14 per month for 4,000 credits, which include up to 4 One-Click stories, 40 videos, 4,000 images, and 4 characters. The advanced plan costs $30 per month for 12,000 credits and includes up to 12 One-Click stories. The Infinite plan is priced at $56 per month for 24,000 credits, and there is also a team plan available for $35/month per member. OpenArt has raised $5 million in funding to date from Basis Set Ventures and DCM Ventures, and it boasts a positive cash flow. Additionally, the company said it's on track to achieve an annual revenue rate of over $20 million.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Trump Jr skewered for Instagram post where he referred to his dad's AI parody of Sydney Sweeney ad as ‘so hot'
Social media users have mocked Donald Trump Jr after he shared an AI-generated image of his father in double denim amid the furor surrounding actor Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle campaign. 'That Hanse…. Um, Donald is so hot right now!!!' said Trump Jr on Instagram Tuesday night, seemingly in a reference to the supermodel character played by Owen Wilson in the Zoolander movies, Hansel McDonald. The image shows the president lying down on the floor in a pair of jeans and a denim shirt, looking at the camera. It's an obvious reference to the controversial ad campaign put forward by American Eagle, which has led to a debate about racism. The campaign shows Sweeney, 27, wearing the brand's denim, along with the words 'Sydney Sweeney has great jeans' — in what some say is a play on the words 'good genes.' American Eagle faced a litany of negative comments regarding the ad campaign, with activist Zellie Imani writing on X that 'The American Eagles [sic] ad wasn't just a commercial. It was a love letter to white nationalism and eugenic fantasies, and Sydney Sweeney knew it.' The pushback led to a backlash from conservatives, with Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas writing on X, 'Wow. Now the crazy Left has come out against beautiful women. I'm sure that will poll well….' White House Communications Director Steven Cheung called it 'cancel culture run amok.' 'This warped, moronic, and dense liberal thinking is a big reason why Americans voted the way they did in 2024. They're tired of this bull****,' he added. American Eagle CEO Jay Schottenstein is part of a family dynasty that has previously faced reports of its public affection for the president. The family has long been members of the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, and reportedly has a personal relationship with Trump, The Daily Beast noted. Trump Jr's post received thousands of comments, with many making reference to the Epstein files. 'That's enough internet for the week,' one user said. 'Are you really proudly posting [an] image of your father while he is already an international laughingstock?' another added. 'He looks like a clown,' another Instagram user said. 'Daddy's little golf trip cost Americans $10 million. Trump family are a pack of self-absorbed a**holes,' one account holder argued. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
AI clip falsely shared as tsunami hitting Japan
An 8.8-magnitude earthquake that rocked Russia's Far East in late July triggered tsunami warnings in Japan and around the Pacific Ocean. But aerial footage of large waves supposedly hitting a Japanese island -- which racked up more than 39 million views on Facebook and TikTok -- is AI-generated. The video, which appears to be filmed from a plane and shows waves approaching a coastline, was shared on Facebook on July 30. "Tsunami in japan, prayer for japan," the overlaid text says with a hashtag #prayerforrussia. Millions of people were put on high alert in countries along the Pacific Ocean after the 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia's Kamchatka peninsula on July 30, 2025 (archived link). In Japan, where a massive quake and tsunami killed 15,000 people in 2011, almost two million people were ordered to higher ground, but the biggest wave was 1.3 metres (4.3 feet). Japan downgraded its tsunami alert to an advisory later on July 30, and waves of up to 0.7 metres were still being observed the day after. The same video of the purported waves was also shared by more than 170 Facebook pages with a misspelled caption the "first tunia (sic) to hit Hokkaido, Japan this afternoon", with many of the pages directing users to a website selling home items. The claim was also shared elsewhere on Facebook and TikTok, garnering a total of 39 million views combined. But the video is inauthentic. Using Google reverse image search, AFP found the clip had surfaced online on April 29, uploaded by a YouTube channel that states it shares AI-generated visuals in its bio (archived links here and here). "From 30,000 feet...I saw this," the video's caption said, including hashtags saying it was made with artificial intelligence. The channel also added an "altered or synthetic" label to the video, which, according to YouTube, discloses "altered or synthetically generated content that seems realistic" (archived link). AFP found visual anomalies throughout the clip. The white water unnaturally separates from the rest of the wave as it advances towards the shoreline. The plane from which the video was filmed also does not appear to be moving forward. The circulating video does not correspond to footage that Japanese broadcaster NHK released of tsunami waves that hit Japan's coastal areas on July 30 (archived link). NHK also reported waves between 50 to 80 centimetres (1.6 to 2.6 feet) were observed along the coast of Hokkaido. AFP has repeatedly fact-checked the deluge of AI-generated videos misrepresenting disasters, as well as images falsely linked to the earthquake in Russia.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chris Cuomo Gives AOC Bizarre Non-Apology After Falling for Sydney Sweeney Deepfake
NewsNation host Chris Cuomo made a grudging on-air apology to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez after the pair were involved in an online spat over a deepfake video. On Wednesday, Cuomo was duped by a fake video which suggested the New York congresswoman was calling out the divisive Sydney Sweeney jeans ad as 'blatant Nazi propaganda' during a speech on the floor of Congress. Phrases like 'watching that sultry little temptress squeeze into a Canadian tuxedo' and 'bouncy little funbags,' as well as the word 'f---' meant it was quickly identified as AI-generated by online viewers. But not by Cuomo, who posted on his X account: 'Nothing about Hamas or people burning jews Sweeney jeans ad? Deserved time on floor of congress? What happened to this party? Fight for small for small culture wars.' He has since deleted the X post, which had the AI video embedded with it, but not before Ocasio-Cortez replied, 'This is a deepfake dude. Please use your critical thinking skills. At this point you're just reposting Facebook memes and calling it journalism.' Ocasio-Cortez has been a vocal critic of Israel's actions in Gaza, and last month received death threats after she voted against an amendment that would have cut funding for Israel's Iron Dome defense system. As the back-and-forth continued on X, Cuomo doubled down despite falling for the fake video. As well as prodding AOC to make a comment on Hamas, he said, 'You are correct... that was a deepfake (but it really does sound like you). Thank you for correcting.' AOC clapped back, 'I'm going to assume you were trying to reply to me and burped this tweet into the ether instead. You seem to struggle with knowing how to write an apology. Do you need help? Maybe you should call someone.' The online tit-for-tat continued when Cuomo posted on X, 'Burped? You can do better... you are a new yorker! I am sorry I didn't listen to the whole wrong. I do understand why you won't tell hamas to have ducked it repeatedly ... do you apologize for that? Far more worthy of reply - and offensive - than an errant tweet, no?' Talking on NewsNation on Wednesday night, Cuomo revisited the exchange as he took his apology to TV. 'You listening? I was wrong,' Cuomo said. 'I was tweeting today and saw a clip of AOC saying that Sydney Sweeney ad was racist. And so I replied to it, and I said, 'Why do you care about this and ignore what matters most? Why in all the times that you've called on Israel to stop why have you never told Hamas to stop? Told Hamas to surrender? Why would you ignore the St. Louis attack on that Jewish guy who had his car bombed?'' He continued: 'AOC tweeted back and said, 'Dude, that's a deepfake, that Sydney Sweeney ad. You suck,' in so many words. And she was right. They got me. AI. It was really good, and it did seem like something she would say, but it wasn't her. So I thanked AOC for correcting me.' But he added: 'Why did AOC—the most popular Democrat in the country, reportedly—ignore what I asked about calling on Hamas to surrender to end the war they started? She also ignored my question about saying nothing about the American IDF soldier who returned home only to have his car fire-bombed in America by antisemites. Why? Why wouldn't you say anything about that?' The Daily Beast has contacted Ocasio-Cortez's office for comment. Cuomo's comments came after AOC posted on X earlier on Wednesday that his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo 'was backed by Trump's orbit. That's why he lost the [NYC mayoral] primary.' She then called on Democrat leaders to unite behind Zohran Mamdani, the progressive who beat longtime frontrunner Cuomo in the Democratic primary, saying: 'If they don't now, how can they call for party unity later? We must lead by example. Let's win together.' Solve the daily Crossword
Reuters
2 days ago
- Science
- Reuters
Fact Check: Aerial tsunami clip is AI-generated, not Russia quake aftermath
A video shot from an airplane that shows massive ocean waves engulfing buildings on the shore is AI-generated, the creator told Reuters, and it is not therefore authentic footage of tsunami waves after an earthquake in Russia, as some posts have falsely claimed online. A powerful 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka coast on July 30, triggering tsunami waves 3-5 metres high on the Kamchatka Peninsula, as well as tsunami warnings in Japan and Hawaii which were later downgraded. After the quake, an aerial video showing the tip of an airplane wing and massive waves hitting a shoreline below was posted online, opens new tab with captions such as 'Russia tsunami today' and 'Tsunami footage caught up in the SKY'. But the same video was first posted online three months before the July 30 earthquake to a YouTube account which describes itself on its profile as sharing AI-generated visuals and has marked the tsunami video as '#aiart #aivideo'. The YouTube channel, called Goggles On, posted the video, opens new tab on April 29 with the description: 'Not violence. Just nature, unimpressed #tsunami #disaster #sora #aiart #aivideo #usa From 30,000 feet… I saw this. #tsunami #bigwaves #oceanwaves #aiart #aivideo'. Responding to a Reuters request for comment, the account said the video was AI-generated and was created and published months ago. Shahroz Tariq, a research scientist at Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) who specialises in cybersecurity, AI, and human-centric machine learning solutions, told Reuters in an email that he believed the video not to be authentic. He highlighted that the water movement appears unnatural in the bottom-left region, near the small forest adjacent to the beach. "The flow pattern spreads both horizontally and vertically without any visible source or physical explanation, which strongly suggests digital manipulation," Tariq said, adding that these inconsistencies are characteristic of AI-generated or altered content. Synthetic media. The video is AI-generated and was first posted online two months before the July earthquake. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work.
