However, Viggle's CEO Hang Chu admitted in an interview that the company uses YouTube videos to train its AI models, which could potentially violate YouTube's terms of service. Although Viggle later clarified that it ensures compliance with all terms of service and avoids unauthorized video downloads, the issue highlights the gray area many AI model developers operate in when using YouTube as training data.
Key takeaways:
- Viggle AI, a Canadian startup, has created a 3D-video foundation model, JST-1, that allows users to specify the motion they want characters to take on in videos. The model has been used to create viral memes and is being adopted by filmmakers, animators, and video game designers.
- The company offers a free, limited version of its AI model on Discord and its web app, and a $9.99 subscription for increased capacity. It is also in talks with film and video game studios about licensing the technology.
- Viggle recently raised a $19 million Series A funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from Two Small Fish. The funds will be used to scale the company, accelerate product development, and expand its team.
- Despite stating that they use publicly available data, including YouTube videos, for training their AI models, Viggle's CEO later backtracked on this statement. Using YouTube videos for such purposes could potentially violate the platform's terms of service.