Captions, an AI-powered video creation and modifying app for content material creators that has secured over $100 million in enterprise capital up to now at a valuation of $500 million, is rebranding to Mirage, the corporate introduced on Thursday.
The brand new title displays the corporate’s broader ambitions to turn out to be an AI analysis lab targeted on multimodal foundational fashions particularly designed for short-form video content material for platforms like TikTok, Reels, and Shorts. The corporate believes this strategy will distinguish it from conventional AI fashions and rivals reminiscent of D-ID, Synthesia, and Hour One.
The rebranding may also unify the corporate’s choices below one umbrella, bringing collectively the flagship creator-focused AI video platform, Captions, and the just lately launched Mirage Studio, which caters to manufacturers and advert manufacturing.
“The best way we see it, the actual race for AI video hasn’t begun. Our new id, Mirage, displays our expanded imaginative and prescient and dedication to redefining the video class, beginning with short-form video, by means of frontier AI analysis and fashions,” CEO Gaurav Misra informed TechCrunch.
The gross sales pitch behind Mirage Studio, which launched in June, focuses on enabling manufacturers to create brief commercials with out counting on human expertise or massive budgets. By merely submitting an audio file, the AI generates video content material from scratch, with an AI-generated background and customized AI avatars. Customers can even add selfies to create an avatar utilizing their likeness.
What units the platform aside, in accordance with the corporate, is its skill to supply AI avatars which have natural-looking speech, actions, and facial expressions. Moreover, Mirage says it doesn’t depend on present inventory footage, voice cloning, or lip-syncing.
Mirage Studio is out there below the marketing strategy, which prices $399 per 30 days for 8,000 credit. New customers obtain 50% off the primary month.
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Whereas these instruments will seemingly profit manufacturers desirous to streamline video manufacturing and avoid wasting cash, in addition they spark issues across the potential affect on the artistic workforce. The rising use of AI in commercials has prompted backlash, as seen in a latest Guess advert in Vogue’s July print version that featured an AI-generated mannequin.
Moreover, as this expertise turns into extra superior, distinguishing between actual and deepfake movies turns into more and more troublesome. It’s a troublesome capsule to swallow for many individuals, particularly given how shortly misinformation can unfold lately.
Mirage just lately addressed its function in deepfake expertise in a blog post. The corporate acknowledged the real dangers of misinformation whereas additionally expressing optimism concerning the constructive potential of AI video. It talked about that it has put moderation measures in place to restrict misuse, reminiscent of stopping impersonation and requiring consent for likeness use.
Nonetheless, the corporate emphasised that “design isn’t a catch-all” and that the actual answer lies in fostering a “new sort of media literacy” the place individuals strategy video content material with the identical crucial eye as they do information headlines.