Netflix just launched an AI animation studio 👀

Good morning. Netflix quietly launched an in-house AI animation studio called INKubator. Runway just released an MCP that lets you generate video directly inside Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and Replit. And the Tung Tung Tung Sahur meme is now in Fortnite, has merch, and a potential film deal, all from an AI-generated stick figure. What's the most unhinged brainrot meme you've seen this week? Hit reply and tell me. We cover all three below.

Netflix confirmed the launch of INKubator, an in-house generative AI animation studio that quietly started in March 2026. Netflix is calling it a "next-generation, creative-led, GenAI-native animation studio" and is hiring CG artists, ML engineers, producers, and a head of technology. The studio is led by Serrena Iyer, who previously held roles at DreamWorks Animation, A24, and MRC Studios.

INKubator will start with short-form animated content using AI-native production pipelines, but job listings suggest it plans to expand into longer-form content. Netflix clarified that its main Animation Studios will continue using traditional techniques. INK is a separate unit running its own playbook.

For creators, this is a major signal. The biggest streaming platform in the world just stood up a dedicated AI animation studio with serious leadership. This isn't a side experiment or a blog post about exploring AI. It's a staffed production operation. If you're building skills in AI-assisted animation workflows, the hiring pipeline for this kind of work just got real.

Runway launched Runway MCP this week, and it's a big shift in how video generation fits into your workflow. You can now connect Runway directly into Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Replit, and any other app that supports MCP (Model Context Protocol). That means you can generate images and videos with Gen-4.5, Seedance 2.0, Kling 3.0, GPT Image 2.0, Veo 3.1, and Nano Banana Pro without leaving whatever tool you're already working in.

Setup takes seconds. In Claude, you go to Customize, Connectors, add the Runway MCP, and sign in with your Runway account. From there, you can ask Claude to generate a product video from a URL, create an ad, or turn reference images into polished clips. Everything uses your existing Runway credits and saves to your Runway library.

For creators, this changes what Runway is. It's no longer just a destination you go to for video generation. It's a capability that lives inside whatever tool you're already using to write, code, or plan. The AI video space is moving from standalone apps to modular tools that plug into everything else. Runway just made itself available everywhere.

If you've been on TikTok in the last year, you've seen the wooden stick figure dancing. Tung Tung Tung Sahur started as an AI-generated meme posted by TikToker @noxaasht during Ramadan 2025. The original video hit 31 million views and 2.4 million likes. Now the character is in Fortnite, has official merch and toys, and an Indonesian production company has met with the creator about a potential film.

All of this from a 10-second AI-generated clip of a wooden figure that nobody designed by hand. The character can't even be copyrighted in most jurisdictions because it was AI-generated. That hasn't stopped it from becoming one of the most recognizable meme characters of 2025-2026, spawning an entire ecosystem of remixes, fan art, power-scaling videos, and baby versions.

For creators, this is the story that matters more than any tool update. AI-generated content isn't just normalizing the technology. It's creating culture. Hundreds of millions of people interact with AI-generated memes every day without thinking about the tools behind them. The barrier to creating a viral character is now a text prompt and a TikTok upload. Tung Tung Tung Sahur is what happens when that barrier drops to zero. Whether you think that's exciting or terrifying probably depends on what side of the create button you're on.