Runway's AI Now So Rich It Can Buy Hollywood, Plans to Replace All Actors with Deepfakes

In a move that has left both the tech and entertainment industries shook, Runway, the startup that's been quietly teaching AI to generate videos that are almost as good as your cousin's film school projects, has just bagged a whopping $308 million in Series D funding. That's right, folks. The machines are now officially better funded than most indie film studios.

Leading the charge was General Atlantic, with a little help from their friends at Fidelity, Baillie Gifford, Nvidia, and SoftBank. Because when you're investing in the future, why not throw in with the guys who brought us 'AI-generated cat videos' as the next big thing in entertainment?

The company claims the fresh capital will be used for 'AI research', which we can only assume means teaching their algorithms to cry when they realize no amount of funding can make their deepfakes as emotionally compelling as a real actor... yet.

Meanwhile, Hollywood is reportedly 'concerned', which is industry code for 'secretly updating their LinkedIn profiles'. With Runway's AI now flush with cash, the dream of replacing all actors with deepfakes is inching closer to reality. Imagine a world where your favorite characters are played by algorithms that can't demand higher pay or better working conditions. Truly, a utopia.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. For now, Runway's tech is best known for generating videos where the lighting is weird, the physics don't make sense, and everyone has that uncanny valley stare. So, maybe there's still hope for human actors. Or maybe this is just the beginning of the end. Either way, grab your popcorn. The AI takeover of Hollywood is going to be hilariously entertaining.