Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is turning his attention to helping creators in the artificial intelligence sector.
What Happened: The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback is launching Lumi Story AI, an artificial intelligence company backed by Seven Seven Six, the venture capital firm co-founded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.
The company has received $4 million in funding, with Seven Seven Six leading the seed funding.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Lumi Story AI can help writers create illustrations and graphics for their words, and artists create words to go along with their artwork.
"It allows us to help fill the skill gaps of creators," Kaepernick said. "We are now building in that direction to try to open that up and democratize storytelling."
The former National Football League player said creators have told him that high production costs, long timelines and lack of expertise in distribution and marketing are often roadblocks to make their work stand out and accomplish goals.
"We look at it as AI should be empowering and enhancing creators," Kaepernick added.
In an interview with Seven Seven Six, Kaepernick said Lumi helps creators come up with ideas and character creation for a small monthly fee.
"It's a way for people to be able to build ideas, test ideas and do it much more quickly."
Kaepernick said the platform aims to get creators around long production processes and make sure they see the long-term benefits of their creation.
"We want them to be able to be financially stable."
Seven Seven Six shared in a thread that Lumi understands the challenges and opportunities of AI and building "a better way for all."
"Creators want control of their work, but they also enjoy using AI. For many creators, AI is a vital assistant. But they fear that the large corporations who currently make AI tools will exploit them. Lumi is centering authentic storytelling for a truly people-powered AI," Seven Seven Six tweeted.
The thread said Lumi helps creators create and not have to worry about logistics or administrative duties.
A beta version of Lumi Story AI launched on Wednesday targeting the comic book sector with plans to expand to more offerings down the road. Plans also call for Lumi Story AI to help creators make and sell merchandise based off of their work.
Read Also: Reddit Co-Founder Alexis Ohanian Prints Mean Tweets And Screenshots: How He Uses Them As Motivation
Why It's Important: Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since 2016 as lower performance and concerns over his protests of racial injustice led to teams not wanting to sign the quarterback who took the 49ers to a Super Bowl.
Since his time in the NFL, Kaepernick has launched Kaepernick Publishing and a youth education initiative known as Know Your Rights Camp.
Kaepernick also co-created a six-episode series for Netflix Inc NFLX with director Ava DuVernay. "Colin in Black & White" gave viewers and in depth look at Kaepernick's teenager years and how his experiences led to becoming an activist later in life.
The former NFL quarterback was also part of the team that launched an ESG-focused SPAC that later liquidated after having a deal fall apart.
Kaepernick also continues to train in case an NFL team calls him for an opportunity.
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