Ep 38: Runway CEO Cristobal Valenzuela on the Next Frontiers for AI Media and The Role of Human Taste in AI Filmmaking

Cris is the co-founder and CEO of Runway, which builds breathtakingly real video AI tools, including the incredible Gen-3 Alpha foundation model. Cris sits right at the intersection of technology and creativity, and in 2023 was named to TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in AI. Runway is reported to be in talks to raise capital at a $4 Billion valuation.

 

(0:00) intro
(0:37) how early are we in the AI for creative tools space
(3:01) how Cris tests new models
(8:21) who uses Runway?
(10:37) how Runway teaches new users
(14:08) does UI matter?
(29:09) what are the next frontiers for video models?
(32:32) allocating resources for the research time
(39:15) how Cris thinks about pricing
(42:10) one video model to rule them all?
(44:24) incorporating IP
(52:45) over-hyped/under-hyped
(53:30) biggest surprises while building Runway
(55:12) advice for art students

 

With your co-hosts: 

@jacobeffron 

- Partner at Redpoint, Former PM Flatiron Health 

@patrickachase 

- Partner at Redpoint, Former ML Engineer LinkedIn 

@ericabrescia 

- Former COO Github, Founder Bitnami (acq’d by VMWare) 

@jordan_segall 

- Partner at Redpoint

Jacob is an AI investor at Redpoint Ventures. He's led Redpoint's investments in companies like Abridge, Physical Intelligence & Legora. Follow Jacob on Twitter (@jacobeffron).

On Unsupervised Learning we probe the sharpest minds in AI in search for the truth about what's real today, what will be real in the future and what it all means for businesses and the world. If you're a builder, researcher or investor navigating the AI world, this podcast will help you deconstruct and understand the most important breakthroughs and see a clearer picture of reality. Subscribe to this show to stay up to date on our latest episodes.