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:
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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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