Former Googlers’ AI Startup OpenArt Now Creates ‘Brain Rot’ Videos in Just One Click

The internet is awash with AI-generated “brain rot” videos, a trend rapidly gaining popularity among younger audiences. These often surreal clips feature imaginative characters, such as a shark sporting sneakers or a ballerina whose head is a cappuccino, bringing a unique brand of digital entertainment.

One of the startups fueling this creative wave is OpenArt. Founded in 2022 by two former Google employees, the company has quickly amassed a significant user base, reportedly reaching around 3 million monthly active users.

OpenArt has recently introduced a “one-click story” feature, currently in open beta. This innovative tool allows users to input a single sentence, a script, or even a song, and transform it into a one-minute video complete with a narrative arc. The versatility of the feature is highlighted by its potential applications, ranging from light-hearted TikTok content to more serious explainer videos or YouTube music videos, and even advertising campaigns.

Users selecting the “One-Click Story” feature can choose from three templates: Character Vlog, Music Video, or Explainer. For the Character Vlog, the process begins with users uploading an image of their desired character and providing a prompt. If a song is uploaded, the platform’s AI analyzes the lyrics to generate animations that align with the song’s themes, such as depicting flowers blooming in a garden.

The platform also offers advanced editing capabilities through its storyboard mode, allowing users to refine individual clips by tweaking prompts for more precise results. OpenArt distinguishes itself by aggregating over 50 AI models, including popular ones like DALLE-3, GPT, Imagen, Flux Kontext, and Stable Diffusion, giving users a wide array of tools to choose from.

The primary objective behind this new feature is to further democratize AI creation, making it more accessible to everyone, especially amidst the enduring popularity of AI-generated content despite ongoing ethical debates.

While AI video generation tools can be incredibly beneficial for rapidly creating content with original characters and narratives, they also raise significant ethical questions. These include concerns about imitating other artists’ distinctive styles, navigating complex intellectual property (IP) rights, and the potential for misuse in creating and spreading misinformation.

During initial testing, it was observed that the Character Vlog option might venture into a legally sensitive area, particularly when users attempt to generate content featuring well-known characters like Pikachu, SpongeBob, or Super Mario. Such usage could potentially lead to intellectual property infringement claims, similar to recent lawsuits filed against AI firms like Midjourney by Disney and Universal over AI-generated images.

Users need to be aware that if their generated videos are found to infringe on copyrights, they risk having them removed from social media platforms. Furthermore, individuals contributing to such infringement could be held legally liable under copyright law, potentially facing legal action from the original copyright holders.

“We try to be cautious around the IP infringement,” stated Coco Mao, co-founder and CEO of OpenArt. “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 also expressed the company’s openness to discussions with major IP holders regarding licensing agreements for character usage.

A key differentiator for OpenArt, according to the company, is its ability to maintain character consistency throughout videos. Unlike many AI video models that produce standalone clips requiring users to manually assemble a coherent story, OpenArt aims to ensure that both visual elements 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 elaborated.

Looking ahead, OpenArt plans to enhance its one-click feature by enabling users to create videos featuring conversations between multiple characters. Additionally, the company is working on developing a dedicated mobile application to further broaden accessibility.

OpenArt operates on a credit-based subscription model. It offers various plans, starting with a basic package at $14 per month, providing 4,000 credits. This includes allowances for up to four One-Click stories, 40 videos, 4,000 images, and four characters. A more advanced plan costs $30 monthly for 12,000 credits, covering up to 12 One-Click stories. The “Infinite” plan is priced at $56 per month for 24,000 credits, with a team plan available at $35 per member per month.

To date, OpenArt has secured $5 million in funding from investors Basis Set Ventures and DCM Ventures. The company reports a positive cash flow and is projected to achieve an annual revenue rate exceeding $20 million.