CMU alums launch AI tool to create videos without filming
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No camera? No problem: A new AI platform will make a video for you.
The intrigue: AI video creation is becoming more prominent, and a brother-sister team of Carnegie Mellon University grads think their company can be the frontrunner.
Context: Mehul and Gauri Agarwal recently started Koyal, an AI platform that can generate videos with personalized scenery, costumes and shifting camera angles in a matter of minutes.
- Gauri graduated with a degree in computer science in 2020.
- Mehul earned his master's degree at the Robotics Institute in 2024.
How it works: Just upload an audio or video file — MP3, WAV, MP4 or M4A — to Koyal's platform.
- A transcript will be created for your review.
- Then create characters from avatars or your own face.
- Edit the video to your liking using simple commands as you would in ChatGPT or another LLM.
- The new video should be created within five minutes.
What they're saying: Gauri said the goal of Koyal is to democratize filmmaking, so more people can make high-quality videos without the high production costs.
- "We are not trying to replace creators; we are trying to replace the camera," she said.
💭 Ryan's thought bubble: The technology is impressive, especially the customized FI movie trailer the team showed me, but its applications for artistic films might be a ways away.
- A video generated from "Barbie" dialogue and set instead at a castle in Northern Ireland, with Mehul playing Ken, had beautiful scenery but felt too AI, with needless cuts and a lack of a human connection between the characters.
Between the lines: Mehul said Koyal is best at three major applications: music videos, advertisements and educational videos.
- He said Koyal has already been working with some media companies in India, including music videos for Indian artists.
- Gauri said using Koyal for music videos is 90% cheaper than traditional production.
Threat level: To avoid deepfakes, Koyal uses captcha-like security protocol to ensure that people's likenesses aren't uploaded into videos without their consent.
- Avatars can also be customized only from the collarbone up, and nudity and gore are banned, said Mehul.
What's next: As more AI platforms come onto the scene, Koyal's application becomes more robust, Mehul said.
- Demos of the platform are open to the public, and Koyal will generate 45-second customizable videos free of charge.