Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick has a new startup called Lumi, which aims to help creators complete, publish, and sell books and comics. Lumi offers a suite of AI tools to complement users’ existing talents and sell what they create.
Lumi’s pitch is that most humans aren’t equally skilled at every aspect of creating and selling a book, and that AI can fill in those gaps. For example, if a writer can’t draw, Lumi can create illustrations. Or if a comic book artist has a story idea but struggles with dialogue, Lumi can help write the words for their book. And if a creative genius doesn’t have training in marketing and sales, they can publish and distribute their creation through Lumi’s platform.
Lumi strips
Lumi’s initial plans are focused on comic books and graphic novels. The many creative skills required to produce comics make it an ideal market for the company, which is planning a subscription model for users. One aspect that hasn’t been discussed in the news is ownership and copyright. The United States Copyright Office (USCO) is not a fan of dealing with publications created using AI. USCO initially seemed to be okay with the idea of granting copyright protection to a comic book with art created using AI, granting copyright to Kris Kashtanova and her self-published comic created using Midjourney’s text-to-image engine, “Zarya of the Dawn.” But not long after, USCO changed its policy and taken back the copyright protection.
Lumi has so far avoided that storm cloud. Instead, the company claims that incorporating AI will streamline production and open up opportunities for more people who might otherwise never have gotten into the publishing stage. Kaepernick cited his own challenges in the publishing world as inspiration, specifically the high production costs, long timelines, and skepticism in the industry that he says often hinder the creation and distribution of diverse stories. Notably, he later founded Kaepernick Publishing, presumably to avoid such constraints.
“Lumi addresses an unnecessary reliance on gatekeepers that slows down creators,” Kaepernick said in a statement. “It allows creators to get back to what they ultimately want to do: create. The platform empowers creators to work freely and independently, deciding when and how they want to collaborate with others. This independence is crucial to fostering a vibrant and diverse creative ecosystem.”
Whatever happens with copyright protection, Kaepernick may have some wiggle room to give his idea a shot. He’s secured $4 million in venture capital funding led by Seven Seven Six, the venture capital firm founded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.