Former Google engineers’ AI startup OpenArt launches one-click “brain rot” video tool, fueling viral content trend with wild, animated clips

A new AI startup founded by two former Google employees, OpenArt, is at the center of a growing trend in internet culture: the creation of surreal, fast-paced "brain rot" videos. These short, bizarre clips—featuring characters like a shark in sneakers or a ballerina with a cappuccino for a head—are rapidly gaining popularity, especially among younger audiences on platforms like TikTok and YouTube. OpenArt, launched in 2022, now claims around 3 million monthly active users. The company recently introduced a new feature called “One-Click Story” in open beta, enabling users to generate a one-minute video with a full narrative arc from just a single sentence, script, or even a song. The tool supports a range of content types, including character vlogs, music videos, explainer videos, and even promotional ads. Users can choose from three templates: Character Vlog, Music Video, or Explainer. For a Character Vlog, users upload an image of a character and enter a prompt. If a song is provided, the system analyzes the lyrics and creates visuals that match the mood and themes—like showing flowers blooming in a garden during a romantic verse. The platform allows for refinement through a storyboard editor, where users can adjust individual scenes by tweaking prompts. OpenArt integrates over 50 AI models, including DALL·E 3, GPT, Imagen, Flux Kontext, and Stable Diffusion, giving users flexibility in how their content is generated. The company’s goal is to make AI video creation accessible to everyone, removing technical barriers. However, this ease of use comes with ethical and legal concerns. One major issue is intellectual property. During testing, OpenArt’s Character Vlog feature was found to generate content featuring well-known copyrighted characters such as Pikachu, SpongeBob, and Super Mario—raising the risk of copyright infringement. In June, Disney and Universal sued Midjourney over similar AI-generated images, highlighting the legal risks. OpenArt’s co-founder and CEO, Coco Mao, acknowledged the challenge. “When you upload some IP characters, by default, the models we use will reject them,” she said. “But sometimes it slips through.” The company is open to discussing licensing agreements with major IP holders to address these concerns. Mao emphasized that while the system tries to block such content automatically, user-generated material can still pose legal risks. If a video is found to infringe on copyright, platforms may remove it, and users could face legal consequences. What OpenArt says sets it apart is its focus on character consistency. Unlike many AI tools that produce disjointed clips, OpenArt aims to maintain visual and narrative continuity across scenes, which enhances immersion and storytelling quality. Looking ahead, the company plans to introduce features like multi-character conversations and a mobile app. OpenArt operates on a credit-based model with four plans. The basic tier costs $14 per month for 4,000 credits, including up to four One-Click stories, 40 videos, 4,000 images, and four characters. Higher tiers offer more credits and features, with the Infinite plan priced at $56 per month. A team plan is also available at $35 per member per month. To date, OpenArt has raised $5 million from Basis Set Ventures and DCM Ventures and reports positive cash flow. The company is on track to achieve an annual revenue rate exceeding $20 million.