Runway

Runway builds foundational General World Models and AI systems that understand, perceive, generate and act in the world. Its work spans video generation and AI simulation, applied both to creative practice and to scientific research. Among its systems are Gen-4.5, described as the world's best video model, and GWM-1, a state-of-the-art General World Model capable of simulating worlds and experiences. The technical ground covered is unusually broad: generative AI, machine learning, world simulation and simulation-driven modelling.

The company's central premise is that simulation can accelerate trial and error where real-world experimentation is slow or costly. That idea reaches well beyond media. Runway's systems are directed at verticals including film and media, entertainment, art and content creation, alongside scientific discovery, robotics, healthcare and disease research. The engineering challenges sit at the intersection of large-scale model development, perception and generation, and the construction of environments that can be reasoned about and acted within.

Runway works with industry leaders, counting NVIDIA and Lionsgate among its partners. Its reach is global. Alongside its research and model work, the company runs Runway Studios, an initiative supporting creators in bringing their visions to life and lowering barriers to entry in content creation, and the AI Film Festival, which backs AI-driven filmmaking. The stated ambitions are large ones - storytelling, scientific progress and humanity's next frontiers - and the work is organised around merging art and science to reach them.