Chinese tech companies are racing ahead with artificial intelligence tools that can turn text into short videos. The public release of a handful of AI video generators from big companies and startups aims to show how the country is narrowing the gap with the US when it comes to the technology. But they are simultaneously opening a Pandora’s Box, allowing anyone to create short clips from almost any prompt they can imagine.
I tried some out. They wouldn’t give me any videos of Xi Jinping breakdancing, but one did make a clip from my headshot that removed my jacket and shirt when I was testing what these could potentially be used for. While the videos were not always high quality, I was still ultimately left feeling sorry for a generation of girls and young people who are growing up with this technology so easily accessible.
In recent weeks, Internet giant Kuaishou Technology released its AI video tool Kling; start-up Zhipu AI launched Ying; TikTok parent-company ByteDance Ltd unveiled Jimeng; and start-up Shengshu AI, with help from Tsinghua University, launched Vidu. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd is also reportedly working on its own AI video-generating application. The rush to offer these services to the Chinese public stands in stark contrast to firms in the US.
OpenAI teased a first look at its video-generating tool, Sora, in February, but has yet to publicly release it. Google’s Veo is only available to a handful of select creators and testers via a waitlist at the mome.