Fremantle Unveils First Native AI Project: ‘Art Awakens’ (Exclusive)

Art Awakens Imaginae Studios

Indie production giant Fremantle today unveiled Art Awakens, the first native AI production from Fremantle’s new AI production label Imaginae Studios.

The short-form educational TV series uses generative AI to take viewers into the inner worlds of history’s most iconic paintings. Over six episodes, the series literally dives into the some of the best-known masterpieces of the past five centuries, from Jan van Eyck’s “The Arnolfini Portrait” to “Whistler’s Mother” from James McNeill Whistler; from Vincent van Gogh’s “The Starry Night” to Hokusai’s “The Great Wave”; and “The Scream” by Edvard Munch to Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks.” Each episode uses AI technology to animate the original artwork, creating a world inside the painting to explore the emotional and narrative history behind each masterpiece.

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Imagine created the series in collaboration with award-winning Spanish AI filmmaker Hilario Abad.

James Duffen, CEO of Imaginae Studios, said the project shows how generative AI can be “applied with taste, craft and cultural sensitivity” to tell stories “that were previously impossible” while remaining rooted in artistic craft and cultural integrity.

Andrea Scrosati, Group COO & CEO Continental Europe at Fremantle said the series exemplified Imaginae’s goal to give “new creative talent the space to experiment and the freedom to realize bold ideas using incredible AI tools.”

The series launches on YouTube today. Fremantle said it will provide further rollout and distribution details in the coming months.

Fremantle launched the standalone AI label last year pledging to “produce groundbreaking content” with AI tools while “adhering to the strictest intellectual property and compliance standards.”

As the producer of some of the world’s most successful television formats, including Got Talent, American Idol, and The X Factor, Fremantle is keen to stress it sees AI as a compliment to traditional TV production, not as a replacement. The company is eager to avoid the kind of industry backlash seen by other AI ventures into production, such as that seen with the “AI actress” Tilly Norwood created by London-based production company Particle6 and its AI talent studio Xicoia.