Generative AI tool puts users inside their own custom South Park episodes

An artificial intelligence tool has been fed South Park content enabling it to create custom episodes with completed voices, animation, and editing.

The mind behind the impressive tool is US company Fable Simulation, which has created "AI showrunner," a generative AI tool that allows users to enter 1 or 2 sentences describing a custom South Park episode. Uses users are able to give the tool their own looks and voice, which would then be tied into the custom episode that's based on a variety of locations within the South Park universe. So how did they do this?

Fable simulation took over 1200 images of South Park characters, along with 600 images of background scenes. This South Park content was then fed to the AI, creating a unique AI model trained on South Park content, enabling users to create an infinite amount of character combinations and scenes. Users are able to edit individual scenes after a show has been created. The editorial process is in-depth for those that wish to specifically change the dialogue for certain characters, move objects, etc.

"We did the South Park episode as an example and for research to show generative TV. We don't want to profit from it and we are not releasing a way for other people to do it. We realised it was hard to illustrate how the model works without a comparison," said Fable Simulation's chief executive, Edward Saatchi.

Will this AI tool be released to the public? Absolutely not. The creators behind the impressive AI tool said that they won't be creating another episode of a custom South Park episode as they don't own the IP. Additionally, South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone weren't contacted about the ai tool, but Fable Simulation couldn't see another way to demonstrate the sheer power of AI generative tools for animation.

"We're speaking with several studios and IP holders to potentially use this with their IP to allow fans to create shows," Saatchi said. "We think for any show, fans being able to make their own episodes, potentially even competitively, with permission of IP holders - we think it can lead to something interesting."