AI video and audio are ready for anything—all that's missing is the east wind of "sound."
Since OpenAI's Sora model burst onto the scene, the wave of AI-generated videos has swept across the entire tech industry.From Runway to Pika, top players have unveiled stunning visual creations, placing us seemingly at the threshold of an era where "anyone can be a director." Yet these dazzling videos share an awkward "fatal flaw"—most remain silent.
A video without sound is like a brilliant silent film—though the visuals are vivid, it always feels like something is missing. Waves crash against the shore, yet you hear no roar; birds soar through the sky, yet you hear no flapping of wings; characters speak, yet you see only their mouths moving. This experience of "having the body but lacking the soul" severely limits the immersive quality and narrative power of AI videos.It can be said that the entire AI video industry finds itself in a predicament where "everything is ready, only the east wind is missing." That crucial east wind is "sound."
German dark horse Mirelo emerges, vowing to make AI video truly immersive
At this very moment, a Berlin-based startup named Mirelo burst onto the scene with a solution. They recognized this massive market gap and set out to solve the "silent problem" in AI-generated videos. Mirelo's goal isn't merely to add canned background music to videos; it's to develop an AI system capable of understanding video content and automatically generating sound effects, ambient noises, and background music that perfectly synchronize with the visuals.
The ambition behind this technology is nothing short of remarkable. Imagine your AI video depicting a cat leaping off a table—Mirelo's system not only generates the cat's meow but also precisely synchronizes the soft "thud" of its landing and the subtle ambient sounds of its surroundings.This is undoubtedly the icing on the cake for AI videos—a stroke of genius that elevates what was once a flat visual creation to an entirely new multisensory dimension.
Sky-High Seed Funding Rounds: Why Are Silicon Valley Giants Betting Big?
Mirelo's ambitious vision quickly attracted top players in the venture capital world.Recently, the company announced the completion of a seed funding round totaling $41 million (approximately NT$1.32 billion), led by two Silicon Valley venture giants: Index Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). Achieving such a staggering seed funding amount is nothing short of a sensation in the venture capital world, carrying profound implications:
- A powerful signal validated by the market:
Top-tier VCs' substantial investments confirm the industry's consensus that "AI audio generation" is the next golden opportunity following "AI video generation." Solving audio challenges is seen as the key to unlocking the full potential of AI video. - The significant funding of
$41 million underscores the immense complexity of the technology Mirelo is developing, which demands substantial R&D investment. This represents not only financial backing but also a vote of confidence in the team's ability to overcome high technical barriers. - The final piece of the ecosystem puzzle: From
text to images to video, the generative AI landscape is steadily filling in the gaps. The addition of audio will make the entire AI content ecosystem more complete, laying the groundwork for future applications like the metaverse and virtual reality.
Why is Mirelo's technology so crucial?
For creators, Mirelo's technology is undoubtedly a game-changer. In the past, video creators had to spend significant time and money searching for suitable sound effects, hiring Foley artists or composers.This process was not only time-consuming but also posed a significant professional barrier. Mirelo's emergence will drastically lower this barrier, empowering independent creators, small studios, and even everyday users to effortlessly add professional-grade sound effects to their video projects. This truly democratizes audiovisual creation.
However, this path has not been entirely smooth sailing. Enabling AI to accurately discern physical interactions in videos (e.g., the sound of shattering glass vs. the sound of plastic falling) and emotional atmospheres (tense music vs. warm music), while achieving split-second synchronization between audio and video, presents technical challenges that are "easier said than done."This requires massive databases, complex algorithms, and a deep understanding of both the physical world and human emotions.
Conclusion: Farewell to the silent film era, and welcome to the vibrant world of AI-powered audio-visual content.
The development of AI-generated video represents a turning point akin to cinema's transition from silent films to talkies. Mirelo, backed by substantial funding and top talent, is poised to play the pivotal role of ushering in this new era. Though challenges lie ahead, its impact will be revolutionary should it succeed.
We stand at the dawn of a new era—an era where AI not only "sees" but also "hears."In the future, when we watch AI-generated videos, they will no longer be silent scenes. Instead, they will be vibrant, full-fledged worlds brimming with the sounds of birdsong and blossoms, the bustle of traffic, and rich emotional depth. Let us wait and see how Mirelo will compose the first magnificent chapter in the creative world of AI.
