AI-Generated “Brain Rot” Videos Take the Internet by Storm

The latest trend in online entertainment, AI-generated “brain rot” videos, captures the imagination of younger audiences with quirky characters like a sneaker-wearing shark and a ballerina with a cappuccino head.

OpenArt: A Startup Fueling the Trend

Founded in 2022 by former Google employees, OpenArt has quickly garnered around 3 million monthly active users, becoming a leading force in this emerging space.

Introducing the “One-Click Story” Feature

OpenArt recently unveiled its innovative “one-click story” feature, currently in open beta. This tool allows users to transform a simple sentence, script, or song into a captivating one-minute video. Whether for TikTok pleasantries or serious content like explainer videos for YouTube, this feature is poised to revolutionize digital storytelling, even in advertising.

Choose Your Template: Character Vlog, Music Video, or Explainer

With One-Click Story, users can select from three templates: Character Vlog, Music Video, or Explainer. For character vlogs, users upload an image and set a prompt. The software even understands song lyrics, creating animations that resonate with the themes, like illustrating blooming flowers in sync with the melody.

Edit and Refine Your Videos Effortlessly

Users can easily fine-tune their videos by revisiting the editor’s storyboard mode, adjusting prompts for a polished final product. With access to over 50 AI models, users can select tools like DALLE-3, GPT, Imagen, Flux Kontext, and Stable Diffusion to enhance their creations.

Lowering Barriers for Aspiring AI Creators

The intent behind this feature is to simplify the path for budding AI creators, a medium that continues to thrive despite ongoing debates about its ethical implications.

Navigating Ethical Concerns in AI Content Creation

While these tools accelerate content generation with original characters and narratives, they raise numerous ethical questions, including issues of style imitation, intellectual property rights, and the potential for misinformation.

Intellectual Property Risks and Legal Considerations

During testing, concerns arose regarding the Character Vlog option, which could inadvertently incorporate copyrighted characters like Pikachu and SpongeBob, risking intellectual property (IP) violations. Notably, in June, Disney and Universal took legal action against AI firm Midjourney over AI-generated images.

Content creators should be cautious—if their videos infringe on copyright, they risk removal from social media platforms and potential legal repercussions.

OpenArt’s Commitment to Intellectual Property Compliance

Coco Mao, co-founder and CEO of OpenArt, emphasized their cautious approach to IP issues. “When you upload some IP characters, our models reject them by default,” she explained. However, the system may inadvertently allow some through.

Mao also expressed interest in negotiating licensing deals with major IP holders to better navigate this landscape.

Ensuring Character Consistency: A Unique Selling Point

OpenArt differentiates itself by ensuring character consistency throughout videos. Unlike typical video models relying on standalone clips, OpenArt maintains cohesive narratives, enhancing audience immersion.

Future Plans: Enhanced Features and Mobile Potential

Moving forward, the company aims to develop the one-click feature further, allowing for dialogue between two different characters. A mobile app is also on the horizon.

Pricing Plans and Growth Trajectory

OpenArt operates on a credit-based system with four subscription plans: the basic plan at $14 per month for 4,000 credits (covering up to four One-Click stories), the advanced plan at $30 for 12,000 credits, the Infinite plan at $56 for 24,000 credits, and a team plan at $35 per member per month.

To date, OpenArt has raised $5 million from Basis Set Ventures and DCM Ventures, achieving positive cash flow and aiming for an annual revenue exceeding $20 million.