Elorian launches AI model that interacts with visual data directly

Elorian, a Palo Alto-based AI startup, has launched its first model, Glimpse, which allows for direct interaction with visual data. The model, released as a research preview, offers API access and a chat interface, currently available only through a waitlist. Glimpse enables the AI to revisit the source material during reasoning, allowing it to crop images, extract video frames, or run code for analysis, a feature the company calls a 'visual scratch space.' Elorian CEO Andrew Dai, a former Google DeepMind researcher, highlighted the limitations of current AI models in understanding visual cues, citing examples such as board games and IKEA diagrams. He noted that while humans can interpret these visuals with minimal text, AI models struggle to grasp their meaning. Glimpse, however, outperforms models like GPT-6 Astra in scientific chart reasoning and short-form video captioning. The startup, which emerged from stealth six months ago, secured a $55 million seed round at a $300 million valuation. Glimpse costs $0.60 per million tokens in and $3 per million tokens out, positioning it between mid-level and lightweight models. Elorian aims to develop the 'world’s best visual reasoning model' by next year, targeting industries with large video datasets, including robotics and media.