WPP Invests in Stability AI: A Strategic Partnership to Revolutionize AI-Driven Content Creation

WPP invests in Stability AI | Advertising | Campaign India

Stability AI's models and workflows to be integrated with WPP's AI-driven operating system, WPP Open, to help it transform visual content creation. WPP has invested in Stability AI, the developer of Stable Diffusion, a generative AI platform for image generation. This investment is expected to provide WPP with an ability to deliver advanced AI-driven content solutions to its entertainment channel clients across streaming, interactive experiences, and immersive storytelling. The value of the transaction has not been disclosed. With this transaction, WPP will be able to leverage Stability AI's open visual media models across image, video, 3D, and audio to craft compelling brand narratives. In turn, WPP's real-world applications and market insights will help drive the development of Stability AI's technology and creator-centric approach. Stephan Pretorius, chief technology officer, WPP, said, "We are thrilled to partner with Stability AI and harness its generative AI technology to drive innovation in marketing and advertising. This collaboration focuses on the visual media industry. Stability AI's generative AI will play a major role in entertainment industry by augmenting the creative process." As part of the collaboration, WPP and Stability AI will also work on combining their talent pools, strengthening WPP's in-house production capabilities and studio facilities. Mark Read, CEO, WPP, said, "The advertising landscape is evolving quickly, and AI is at the heart of that evolution. Our investment in Stability AI, alongside our increased annual investment of £300m in AI and technology through WPP Open, ensures WPP and our clients remain at the forefront of this new era of innovation." Stability AI is backed by investors such as Greycroft, Coatue Management, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Sound Ventures, Sean Parker, Eric Schmidt, and Prem Akkaraju. Stability AI's leadership team includes the Academy award-winning filmmaker James Cameron as its board member, the entrepreneur, philanthropist, and former president of Facebook Sean Parker as executive chairman, and Prem Akkaraju as its CEO. This new leadership team was instated by Stability AI in June last year. The demand for high-grade production has been growing rapidly driven by rising consumer expectations for visual content and the increasing need felt by brands of differentiation. By establishing a joint R&D pipeline, WPP will gain access to Stability AI's models and workflows integrated with WPP Open, the agency's AI-driven operating system, to explore new ways to ideate, perform concept testing, and develop solutions for visual media and entertainment. Prem Akkaraju, CEO, Stability AI, said, "WPP is the platinum standard in marketing and advertising. We've spent years building the foundation for enterprise-grade creative tools, ensuring they are responsible, scalable, and ready for real-world applications. This partnership will accelerate their adoption and enhance our ability to develop products for creative professionals. Now is the time to bring our models and workflows to even more brands globally." WPP showcased its creative campaigns collaborating with various global brands at the recently concluded Super Bowl event. Some of its commercials featured top celebrities such as Beyoncé, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan.

WPP invests in Stability AI to enhance media and entertainment production

WPP has announced a strategic partnership and investment in Stability AI, a leader in generative AI technology. This partnership will enable WPP to integrate advanced AI-driven content solutions into its creative workflow, enhancing brand narratives across various entertainment channels and reinforcing its commitment to innovative technological advancements.WPP is making a bold move into the future of media and entertainment production with a new investment in Stability AI. This partnership is set to accelerate the adoption of enterprise-ready generative AI, signalling a major step forward in the industry's evolution. "WPP today announces a strategic partnership and investment in Stability AI, a pioneer in generative AI and the developer of Stable Diffusion, an industry-leader in image generation. The partnership will further enhance WPP's ability to deliver cutting-edge, AI-driven content solutions to its clients across various entertainment channels such as streaming platforms, interactive experiences, and immersive storytelling, and it reinforces WPP's commitment to remaining at the forefront of technological advancements in the creative industries." Stability AI has quickly established itself as a leader in the generative AI space, backed by prominent investors including Greycroft, Coatue Management, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Sound Ventures, Sean Parker, Eric Schmidt, and Prem Akkaraju. The company's board members include Academy Award-winning filmmaker James Cameron, while Sean Parker, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and former president of Facebook, serves as Executive Chairman, and Prem Akkaraju holds the position of CEO. WPP and Stability AI aim to drive innovation at the intersection of creativity and technology. Through this partnership, WPP will integrate Stability AI's advanced open visual media models -- spanning image, video, 3D, and audio -- into its creative workflow to develop compelling brand narratives. WPP's industry expertise and market insights will contribute to the continued development of Stability AI's cutting-edge technology, fostering a creator-centric approach. Additionally, the establishment of a joint R&D pipeline will enable WPP to incorporate Stability AI's latest models and workflows into WPP Open, its AI-driven operating system. This integration will allow WPP to explore new approaches in ideation, concept testing, and content development, further shaping the future of visual media and entertainment. With consumer expectations for high-quality visual content on the rise and the increasing need for brand differentiation, the demand for top-tier production continues to grow. This partnership equips both companies with the tools and insights necessary to meet these demands. It also builds on WPP's track record of high-quality production, as demonstrated by its recent work on Super Bowl commercials featuring high-profile talents such as Beyoncé, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, Billy Crystal, and Meg Ryan. Stephan Pretorius, Chief Technology Officer at WPP, said: "We are thrilled to partner with Stability AI and harness their groundbreaking generative AI technology to drive innovation in marketing and advertising. This collaboration is unique in its focus on the visual media industry, and we are inspired by the Stability AI team's vision for the role of generative AI in entertainment and how it can augment the creative process." Prem Akkaraju, CEO of Stability AI, said: "WPP is the platinum standard in marketing and advertising, making this a pivotal partnership for Stability AI. Not only will this partnership accelerate the adoption we're already seeing, but it'll also enhance our ability to develop innovative products customised for creative professionals' unique needs. We've spent years building the foundation for enterprise-grade creative tools, ensuring they are responsible, scalable, and ready for real-world applications. Now is the time to bring our models and workflows to even more brands globally." Mark Read, CEO of WPP, said: "The advertising landscape is evolving quickly, and AI is at the heart of that evolution. Our investment in Stability AI, alongside our increased annual investment of £300m in AI and technology through WPP Open, ensures WPP and our clients remain at the forefront of this new era of innovation." As part of this collaboration, WPP and Stability AI will also focus on strengthening their talent pools, enhancing WPP's in-house production and studio capabilities.

WPP invests in Stability AI in new technology tie-up

UK advertising group WPP has invested in a generative AI start-up that last year secured funding from tech entrepreneurs including former Google boss Eric Schmidt, as part of a strategic tie-up that will give it access to a range of image generation tools. WPP, which is also increasing its investment in AI to about £300mn a year, said it would agree a commercial partnership to use Stability AI's models across images, video and audio. The two groups will establish a joint R&D pipeline, and work together on projects. Stability AI has created an AI image-generation tool along the lines of those made by Google and OpenAI, as well as providing similar services in video and audio. The involvement of WPP will boost confidence in Stability AI, which has had issues in recent years such as the exit of key staff, including founder and chief executive Emad Mostaque, high costs and legal action over intellectual property rights. Media company Getty Images is suing Stability AI in the UK over claims its library of images was used to train the start-up's models without its consent. Last summer, Stability AI raised about $80mn in funding from a group of investors including Coatue Management, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Schmidt. Former Facebook president Sean Parker became executive chair of its board. Filmmaker James Cameron joined the board in September. The funding round did not put a valuation on the company but it previously raised $101mn at a $1bn valuation in 2022. WPP's investment was made as part of an extension of the most recent funding round, a person close to the deal said, but the amount was not disclosed. WPP is in an AI investment race with other large advertising companies. The technology can be used to produce marketing campaigns much more quickly and cheaply. WPP said on Wednesday that the deal would "enhance WPP's ability to deliver cutting-edge, AI-driven content" to clients across entertainment channels such as streaming platforms. Mark Read, chief executive of the group, said: "The advertising landscape is evolving quickly, and AI is at the heart of that evolution." Stability AI's models will be integrated within WPP's AI-driven operating system, WPP Open, to help create ideas and test concepts. Prem Akkaraju, chief executive of Stability AI, called it "a pivotal partnership for Stability AI". He added: "We've spent years building the foundation for enterprise-grade creative tools . . . Now is the time to bring our models and workflows to even more brands globally."