When data intelligence meets the soul of cinema
Largo.ai redefines how stories come to life on screen. From its premises at the EPFL Innovation Park, this Lausanne-based start-up has, with Innosuisse's support, developed an artificial intelligence platform to anticipate the audience’s reactions to a film before it is even made.
“Cinema has always been a space where art meets risk and these risks have never been higher than they are now”, said Sami Arpa, co-founder and CEO of Largo.ai. “Producing a film”, he continued, “is both an act of creativity and a financial gamble”.
This observation gave rise to the idea of Largo.ai, which uses artificial intelligence to anticipate the emotions that a film will evoke before it is even made. By combining science and creativity, the start-up is reinventing how the content that will be brought to the screen is designed.
The solution proposed by this EPFL spin-off is innovative. It offers studios, producers or even brands the opportunity to assess the potential of a script or an idea before it goes into production. This approach therefore reduces the risks associated with the inherent uncertainties in creating content without sacrificing creativity.
AI in support of cinema
The software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform developed by Largo.ai is user-friendly. Customers can upload their script or advertising brief and then receive detailed analyses on the expected performance of their project.
In practice, the platform uses intelligent algorithms to analyse scripts, dialogues or even simply film ideas. Based on a large database of the behaviour of thousands of viewers, the analysis process assesses the structure, tone and emotions of the story in order to deduce its potential.
Customers ultimately receive a series of specific indicators such as audience forecasts, emotional analysis, estimated commercial success or engagement rate between audience segments. Therefore, this innovation can be used to help guide their decisions, both creatively and financially.
Unlike generic tools such as ChatGPT, Largo.ai combines narrative understanding, emotional recognition and financial modelling to provide a 360° view of a project’s potential. “In order to obtain this type of information with ChatGPT, you would need hundreds of queries and there is no guarantee of obtaining accurate results”, explained Céline Udriot, COO of Largo.ai.
From Lausanne to international screens
Since the launch of its SaaS platform in 2020, Largo.ai has more than 600 active customers spread equally between Europe and the United States. A number of films analysed using its technology have been shown on major international platforms, signalling a growing adoption of the solution by film and advertising professionals.
Bolstered by a positive market response, Largo.ai also enjoys recognition from various institutions. Its accolades, which include the Top 100 Swiss Start-up Award and the Best Start-up Award at the San Sebastián Film Festival, illustrate the gradual integration of artificial intelligence into the creative process and its growing adoption by stakeholders in the audiovisual sector.
Climbing the mountain of entrepreneurship
Innosuisse’s support has played a key role at various stages of Largo.ai’s development, especially at the start. It’s a phase that Sami Arpa compares to climbing a mountain: “When you launch a start-up, every challenge seems like a mountain. The coaching that we received helped us to quickly scale those peaks with clarity and speed, turning every obstacle into a springboard."
This interaction with coaches from various backgrounds enabled the start-up to structure its growth strategy. One piece of advice in particular stood out for the team: the importance of direct contact with customers. “Since then, we never sign any major contracts without a face-to-face meeting, even if it means travelling abroad. That makes all the difference”, says Céline Udriot.
A global ambition
Currently supported through the Scale-up Coaching programme, which is aimed at start-ups with high growth potential, Largo.ai is preparing to take a new step in its development. With operations in Switzerland, the United States, the United Kingdom and Turkey, the start-up aims to become the world’s leading platform for smart content development.
By relying on the power of artificial intelligence, its mission is to guide studios and brands in their decisions while promoting the essential role of human creativity. “We want artificial intelligence to be perceived not as a threat, but as a creative partner”, said Sami Arpa. It’s an ambition that paves the way for a cinema where technology does not replace humans, but expands their potential.
