Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google and a prominent figure in the tech world, has embarked on a new venture in the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence. He has quietly founded a startup named Hooglee, focusing on AI-powered video generation and potentially incorporating social networking features. Currently funded and housed by Schmidt’s family office, Hillspire, Hooglee’s mission is described as “democratizing video creation with AI,” aiming to revolutionize communication and engagement through innovative AI solutions. While the project remains shrouded in secrecy, its existence underscores Schmidt’s ongoing fascination with AI’s potential, despite his public pronouncements about its potential dangers.
Hooglee’s leadership comprises individuals with deep ties to Schmidt and extensive experience in cutting-edge technology. Sebastian Thrun, a key collaborator of Schmidt’s from their time at Google, is leading the project. Thrun’s involvement extends beyond Hooglee, as he also manages Schmidt’s secretive military drone startup, Project Eagle. The team also includes former research scientists from Meta’s generative AI lab and legal expertise from Kittyhawk, Thrun’s now-defunct aviation company. The addition of Bichen Wu and his team from Centropy, a startup specializing in text-to-image video generation, further strengthens Hooglee’s technical capabilities.
This venture marks Schmidt’s first foray into personally incubating an AI project, distinguishing it from his previous investments in established AI companies like Anthropic and SandboxAQ. While he has financially supported various AI initiatives, including an OpenAI grantmaking program and the nonprofit FutureHouse, Hooglee represents a more direct involvement in shaping the future of AI video generation. Trademark applications filed for Hooglee hint at a dual focus on AI video creation software and a social networking platform, suggesting a potential ambition to challenge established social media giants.
The exact nature of Hooglee’s platform and its intended user base remain unclear. While some sources have alluded to the project as a potential TikTok alternative, the specifics of how it would compete with such a dominant platform are yet to be revealed. Schmidt’s previous interest in acquiring TikTok, coupled with his controversial suggestion to Stanford students about replicating TikTok’s functionality using AI, underscores his awareness of the platform’s influence and his interest in this space. However, the feasibility and ethical implications of such an approach remain open questions.
Hooglee’s emergence adds another player to an increasingly competitive landscape of AI video generation tools. Established companies like Runway and OpenAI, with their respective text-to-video generators, along with tech giants like Meta, Google, and Adobe, are all vying for a share of this rapidly expanding market. Even TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, has entered the fray with its Jimeng AI app. Hooglee will need to differentiate itself from these established players to carve out its own niche and achieve its ambitious goals.
Despite his enthusiasm for AI’s potential, Schmidt has also voiced concerns about its potential misuse, particularly regarding deepfakes and the spread of misinformation. His experience with YouTube, where he witnessed the power of video content to incite violence, has made him acutely aware of the potential harms of manipulated or fabricated videos. He has advocated for measures like AI detection systems and watermarking to combat the proliferation of deepfakes. Whether Hooglee will incorporate such safeguards into its platform remains to be seen, but it will be a crucial consideration as the company navigates the ethical complexities of AI-generated video content. The balance between innovation and responsibility will be a key challenge for Hooglee as it seeks to “democratize video creation with AI.”
