Dream Machine is a
text-to-video model Text-to-Video is a state of the art artificial intelligence technology which needs only text as input for the output as video. The inspiration came from text-to-image models which deliver images as output from text as input.
Video prediction on ma ...
created by Luma Labs and launched in June 2024. It
generates video output based on user
prompts or still images. Dream Machine has been noted for its ability to realistically capture motion, while some critics have remarked upon the lack of transparency about its
training data
In machine learning, a common task is the study and construction of algorithms that can learn from and make predictions on data. Such algorithms function by making data-driven predictions or decisions, through building a mathematical model from ...
. Upon the program's release, users on social media created moving versions of various
Internet meme
An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...
s.
History

Dream Machine is a
text-to-video model Text-to-Video is a state of the art artificial intelligence technology which needs only text as input for the output as video. The inspiration came from text-to-image models which deliver images as output from text as input.
Video prediction on ma ...
created by the
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
-based
generative artificial intelligence
Generative artificial intelligence (generative AI, GenAI, or GAI) is a subset of artificial intelligence that uses generative models to produce text, images, videos, or other forms of data. These models machine learning, learn the underlying p ...
company Luma Labs, which had previously created Genie, a
3D model
In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical coordinate-based representation of any surface of an object (inanimate or living) in three dimensions via specialized software by manipulating edges, vertices, ...
generator. It was released to the public on June 12, 2024, which was announced by the company in a post on
X alongside examples of videos it created. Soon after its release, users on social media posted video versions of images generated with
Midjourney
Midjourney is an independent research lab that produces an artificial intelligence program under the same name that creates images from textual descriptions, similar to OpenAI's DALL-E and Stable Diffusion. It is speculated that the underlying t ...
, as well as moving recreations of artworks such as ''
Girl with a Pearl Earring'' and memes such as
Doge
A doge ( , ; plural dogi or doges) was an elected lord and head of state in several Italian city-states, notably Venice and Genoa, during the medieval and renaissance periods. Such states are referred to as "crowned republics".
Etymology
The ...
,
Picard
Picard may refer to:
*Picardy, a region of France
*Picard language, a language of France
*Jean-Luc Picard, a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise
Places
* Picard, California, USA
* Picard, Quebec, Canada
* Picard (crater), a lunar ...
facepalm
A facepalm is the physical gesture of placing one's hand across one's face, lowering one's face into one's hand or hands or covering or closing one's eyes. The gesture is often exaggerated by giving the motion more force and making a slapping noi ...
,
Success Kid
Success Kid is an Internet meme featuring a baby clenching a fistful of sand with a determined facial expression. It began in 2007 and eventually became known as "Success Kid". The popularity of the image led CNN to describe Sammy Griner, the bo ...
, and
distracted boyfriend
Distracted boyfriend is an Internet meme based on a 2015 stock photograph by Barcelonian photographer Antonio Guillem. Social media users started using the image as a meme at the start of 2017, and it went viral in August 2017 as a way to depict ...
.
One video, a trailer for a fictional animated movie titled ''Monster Camp'', was reposted by Luma Labs on their X account. Users on the platform criticized the video as stealing the aesthetic of the
''Monsters, Inc.'' franchise, also pointing out that
Mike Wazowski
Michael "Mike" Wazowski is a fictional character who appears in Disney/ Pixar's Monsters Inc. franchise. He is a green one-eyed round monster with two arms, legs, and small horns. In the films, Mike is one of the two protagonists, alongside Jam ...
, a character from the franchise, appears in the trailer.
Another video posted by director Ellenor Argyropoulos of a
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californ ...
-style animation of a girl in
ancient Egypt created with Dream Machine went viral online.
Capabilities
, users can create videos with Dream Machine, which are five seconds long and 1360 × 752 pixels, by signing up with their
Google
Google LLC () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company focusing on Search Engine, search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, software, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, ar ...
account and typing in a prompt or using a still image. Dream Machine alters the prompt based on its own
large language model
A large language model (LLM) is a language model consisting of a neural network with many parameters (typically billions of weights or more), trained on large quantities of unlabelled text using self-supervised learning. LLMs emerged around 2018 an ...
. Users can create 10 videos a day and 30 videos for free with Dream Machine. The program also offers Standard, Pro, and Premier subscription plans, which allow users to create 120, 400, and 2,000 videos, respectively. Dream Machine's website states that its videos have difficulty depicting text and motion.
Luma Labs has stated that it has plans to release a developer-friendly
API
An application programming interface (API) is a way for two or more computer programs to communicate with each other. It is a type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standard that describes how ...
for Dream Machine.
The week after its release, Luma Labs announced that it would be adding the ability to extend videos, a discovery feature, and in-video editing.
Reception
Critics compared Dream Machine heavily to
Sora, a text-to-video model created by
OpenAI
OpenAI is an artificial intelligence (AI) research laboratory consisting of the for-profit corporation OpenAI LP and its parent company, the non-profit OpenAI Inc. The company conducts research in the field of AI with the stated goal of promo ...
, and Kling, another text-to-video model, upon its release.
Charles Pulliam-Moore of ''
The Verge
''The Verge'' is an American technology news website operated by Vox Media, publishing news, feature stories, guidebooks, product reviews, consumer electronics news, and podcasts.
The website launched on November 1, 2011, and uses Vox Media' ...
'' wrote that "bullish fans" of generative AI "were quick to call
ream Machinea novel innovation", but remarked upon its training data not being available to the public.
Mark Wilson of ''
TechRadar
''TechRadar'' is an online publication owned by Future and focused on technology. It has editorial teams in the US, UK and Australia and provides news and reviews of tech products and gadgets. It was launched in 2007 and expanded to the US in ...
'' also noted that it was unclear what Dream Machine's training data was, which he said "means that its potential outside of personal use or improving your GIF game could be limited", but wrote that it was "certainly a fun tool to test drive" as "a taster of the more advanced (and no doubt more expensive) AI video generators to come".
For ''
Tom's Guide
''Tom's Hardware'' is an online publication owned by Future plc and focused on technology. It was founded in 1996 by Thomas Pabst. It provides articles, news, price comparisons, videos and reviews on computer hardware and high technology. The si ...
'', Ryan Morrison called Dream Machine "one of the best prompt following and motion understanding AI video models yet" and "an impressive next step in generative AI video", but that "it is still falling short of what is needed".
''
Mashable
Mashable is a digital media platform, news website and entertainment company founded by Pete Cashmore in 2005.
History
Mashable was founded by Pete Cashmore while living in Aberdeen, Scotland, in July 2005. Early iterations of the site were ...
''s Chase DiBenedetto described user-created Dream Machine videos circulating on social media as "eerily-moving" and "''
Harry Potter
''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students a ...
''-esque".
References
External links
{{Artificial intelligence navbox
2024 software
Artificial intelligence art
Video processing
Film and video technology
Applications of artificial intelligence
Text-to-video generation