Filming Archetype AI's Physical AI Explainer at Their Office

Most launch videos are a founder talking for a minute. That works for a feature. It doesn't work when the thing you're launching is a new idea that needs explaining. Archetype AI is building physical AI: models that understand the physical world through sensors instead of text or pixels. Its founders came from Google's ATAP group, where they worked on projects like the Soli radar. The company has raised $48M, including a $35M Series A in late 2025 led by IAG Capital Partners and Hitachi Ventures.

The brief: explain the research

In May 2026, Archetype published a paper on Adaptive World Models. The idea is that each machine should learn its own behavior directly from its sensor data, on top of a general foundation model, instead of needing a separate model trained for every asset. The team didn't want another short announcement. They wanted a longer video where their researchers walk through the idea properly, for engineers and operations leaders who want the details.

Turning the office into a set

Archetype invited us to film at their office. Offices aren't built for video, so we rearranged the space for the shoot, set up lights to shape both the room and the faces, and wired sound so a 12-minute conversation stays clean from start to finish. It looks like a set, but it's their own office, which fits a company that wants to come across as a research lab.

Shooting a long explainer

Jaime Lien, Archetype's co-founder and Chief Scientist, walks through the approach at a table with a colleague. We shaped it as a conversation rather than a lecture and recorded it in sections, so the edit could tighten each part. Then we edited the video and added on-screen text and graphics, so the key ideas land even for someone watching without sound.

The result

A 12-minute explainer that sits next to the paper on Archetype's site and YouTube channel. It's now the easiest way into the research for anyone who doesn't want to read a PDF.

When a long explainer beats a one-minute video

• You're launching an idea, not just a feature
• Your audience is technical and wants depth
• Sales and partnerships need something to send after a first call
• The same shoot can still give you short clips for social

We film at your office, in a rented space or at our studio in SoMa. See our founder launch videos or tell us about your launch.