Artlist's AI Sci-Fi Series 'The Arc' Cost $38,000 in AI Credits Across Five Episodes

Artlist's five-episode sci-fi series 'The Arc' — produced without actors, physical sets, or props — consumed approximately $38,000 in AI generation credits, or roughly $7,600 per episode, according to a Business Insider report. The series, directed by Darin Stewart and executive produced by AI content creator Simone Ferretti, runs about 83 minutes total and used tools from Google, OpenAI, Seedance, and Kling to generate its imagery. The production notably spanned diverse historical settings, including 1600s Japan and 1870s Montana, environments that would have been cost-prohibitive to recreate through conventional means.

The low credit cost, however, does not represent the full production budget: labor, planning, and editing costs are excluded from the $38,000 figure. Director Stewart noted that each desired shot required an average of 8 to 10 AI generations, with teams first reviewing lower-resolution outputs before committing to high-resolution renders. Core creative work — story, characters, worldbuilding, and shot composition — remained human-driven throughout. All five episodes premiered in London last August and are now available on Artlist's YouTube channel, Artlist TV.