Former executives from self-driving startups Voyage and Wayve have come together to launch Odyssey, an innovative AI company focused on developing video generation tools specifically for the film industry. Oliver Cameron, the co-founder and former CEO of Voyage, took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to announce the company's mission: to create visual AI solutions that can seamlessly generate and direct stunning scenery, characters, lighting, and motion.
Cameron envisions visual AI as the next frontier in storytelling. He expressed the need for high-quality standards in this rapidly evolving field, stating, “Today, we're inundated with low-quality AI-generated text and imagery. For AI to be effective in Hollywood, it must deliver glitch-free and breathtaking visuals.” Cameron’s commitment to quality reflects a broader challenge in the industry—enhancing the credibility and artistic integrity of AI-generated content.
Odyssey has been co-founded by Jeff Hawke, a prominent figure in the tech world and the former technology vice president at Wayve. The startup has hit the ground running, securing $9 million in seed funding from prestigious investors such as Google Ventures, DCVC, and Air Street Capital. They have also attracted talent from the film industry, including visual artists who have contributed to major franchises like Marvel’s “Avengers,” “Dune,” and “Godzilla.”
The company has garnered additional backing from influential angel investors including Elad Gil, Google AI lead Jeff Dean, former Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt, and Garry Tan, CEO of Y Combinator. Odyssey’s overarching goal is to elevate AI-generated visual content beyond the current offerings available in the market, ensuring that the quality meets the exacting standards of Hollywood productions.
Cameron pointed out a significant gap in the market, noting that many existing AI solutions generate low-quality text and images. To address this deficiency, Odyssey aims to develop more powerful video generation models capable of delivering cinematic visuals. Current models, like Sora from OpenAI, can produce short soundless videos based on text prompts and still images. However, researchers at Google DeepMind only recently discovered how to incorporate audio into these AI-generated videos, indicating that the technology is still in its infancy.
As a storyteller, Cameron emphasized the limitations of existing tools in directing environments and characters or fine-tuning shot details to achieve the perfect vision. To bridge this gap, Odyssey has created four distinct generative AI models that generate layers of visual detail, encompassing object geometry, lighting, and motion. This innovative approach allows users to manipulate video elements at an individual layer, eliminating the inconvenience of needing to regenerate entire scenes—a groundbreaking development for filmmakers.
Cameron indicated that the outputs from Odyssey's models can integrate seamlessly into existing workflows used in Hollywood, and there’s potential for application in video game development as well. This flexibility positions Odyssey as a front-runner in the burgeoning market for AI tools designed to assist creative industries.
Odyssey represents a pivotal step in a movement that includes numerous companies aspiring to transform the creative landscape through AI technology. For instance, former Google AI lead Laurence Moroney is collaborating with VisionWorks Studios to enhance predictive modeling capabilities for Hollywood. Similarly, DNEG Group, renowned for its visual effects work on films like "Oppenheimer," has established Brahma, a company dedicated to developing AI-powered CGI tools to streamline the visual effects creation process.
As Odyssey continues to push the boundaries of what AI can achieve in video generation, it stands at the forefront of an exciting new era in filmmaking, where technology and creativity intersect to craft compelling narratives with unparalleled visual fidelity.
Ranking
