The Mark Cuban Podcast

Episode: When AI Meets Aesthetics: The OpenArt Conundrum
Date: August 20, 2025
Host: Mark Cuban

Episode Overview

In this episode, Mark Cuban dives into the world of AI-generated content through the lens of OpenArt, a leading AI creative platform often associated with "brain rot" viral content. Cuban explores what sets OpenArt apart in the crowded AI space, highlighting its business model, technical features, and the platform's implications for creative professionals and marketers. He weighs both the criticism and promise of such generative AI tools, reflecting on their practical uses beyond frivolous viral media.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. OpenArt’s “Brain Rot” Reputation and Virality

• Cuban introduces OpenArt as the company powering wildly popular AI-generated “brain rot” videos—bizarre, meme-worthy visuals like “a shark wearing sneakers,” which rack up millions of views on platforms like TikTok.
• Viral impact:
  • “2.2 million views, 22,000 views, 280,000 views... A lot of views for these quote, unquote, brain rot videos.” (02:00)
• Cuban’s perspective:
  • While some dismiss the content as lowbrow, Cuban sees a deeper value in the toolset and technology underpinning OpenArt.

2. Company Background & Business Model

• Founding: Established in 2022 by ex-Google employees.
• Growth and traction:
  • “They actually have around 6 million monthly active users. I was surprised by their numbers.” (03:00)
  • Projected ARR of $20 million; $5 million raised from Basis Set Ventures and DCM Ventures.
  • “They have positive cash flow. Overall, I think this is a really interesting company and it’s not even insanely expensive either." (03:40)
• Pricing: Basic plan is $14/month for 4,000 credits—enough for substantial image and video generation. Higher tiers and team plans available.

3. Product Highlight: One Click Story

• Feature rollout:
  • Users can upload any text, image, or audio to create a complete video narrative, including music videos, explainers, or character vlogs.
  • “...the ability for you to upload a piece of text, an image, an element, some audio and it will create a full video from it.” (04:35)
• AI Models:
  • Uses Google's VO3 video model and around 50 other AI models for content creation.
  • “This kind of one click thing is really interesting. A lot of people are saying, ‘Oh no, everyone's going to just use it for making more AI brain rot.’ But I actually think there's a ton of very interesting use cases." (05:45)

4. Use Cases: Creative & Business Applications

• Beyond “brain rot”:
  • Potential for advertising, product explainers, solo entrepreneurs, and musicians.
    • “You take a picture of your product and you put a prompt in there and then you say, like, make a whole story about this product. ...it creates the whole thing. I think this is really, really interesting.” (08:10)
• Templates available:
  • Character vlog, music video, and explainer.
    • “If you upload a song, it basically understands the lyrics and it creates animations that align with the song’s themes.” (09:00)

5. Real-World Relevance: Music Promotion Example

• Cuban shares a personal scenario:
  • His wife, a musician, tried digital ads for promotion, finding video ad creation laborious.
  • “A tool like this would be really, really cool...animated graphics you basically put clips of your song up ...have some sort of animated graphic in the background.” (10:00)
• Editing tools:
  • Editor’s storyboard mode for granular clip and prompt tweaks.

6. Content Moderation & Intellectual Property Concerns

• IP issues:
  • OpenArt claims to block IP-infringing uploads via foundational AI models, but enforcement relies on those models rather than the platform itself.
    • “It’s kind of interesting that a company like this doesn’t have...any way to screen or look at or stop that. ...You’ll see with most of these AI companies, they’ll try to push the liability out to the, to like the foundational model.” (13:15)
• Cuban notes the industry trend of “passing the buck” on IP legalities.

7. Innovation: Character Consistency in Video Generation

• Key differentiator:
  • OpenArt’s efforts to maintain character consistency across frames, a notorious challenge for AI.
    • “A problem that a lot of AI couldn’t really handle well is have a character consistent in the same video. If you don’t have the same character, then it’s hard to get immersed in the story.” (15:00)
  • Cuban compares to earlier frustrations with AI image tools failing this task—and notes how new tools like OpenArt (and ChatGPT’s image features) are overcoming this barrier.

8. Cuban’s Endorsement (Not Sponsored)

• He encourages artists, video creators, and businesses to try out OpenArt:
  • “Go try out open art. Very interesting. Not Sponsored. I just think it’s an interesting tool worth taking a look at.” (18:10)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “People are making these and they're getting millions of views… Is this whole podcast about making brain rot videos and content? No.” (01:34)
• “They have positive cash flow. Overall, I think this is a really interesting company and it's not even insanely expensive either.” (03:40)
• “A tool like this would be really, really cool for that.” (10:00) [On music marketing use case]
• “It’s just interesting. The buck is getting passed for sure.” (13:30) [On IP liability]
• “If you don’t have the same character, then it’s hard to get immersed in the story.” (15:00)
• “Not Sponsored. I just think it’s an interesting tool worth taking a look at.” (18:10)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:00–03:00 – Introduction; concept of AI “brain rot” videos; OpenArt’s viral success
• 03:00–04:40 – Company overview; user/stats; pricing model
• 04:40–08:10 – Product/feature deep dive: One Click Story; technical underpinnings
• 08:10–11:00 – Creative/business use cases; potential in advertising, music, and more
• 11:00–13:30 – Editing features and OpenArt’s technical toolbox
• 13:30–15:30 – Content/IP moderation discussion; industry implications
• 15:30–18:10 – Innovations in character consistency; closing thoughts and endorsement

Conclusion

Mark Cuban unpacks why OpenArt is making waves not just in viral meme culture, but also as a practical, scalable creative tool for solo creators, marketers, and businesses. While he acknowledges the platform’s association with low-value viral content, he sees substantial, untapped utility for professionals. Cuban closes by urging listeners to try OpenArt (not as an ad, but as an earnest recommendation), framing the platform as a harbinger of how AI generative tools are reshaping creativity, advertising, and the business of aesthetics.