First came the AI chatbots, then the AI image generators. Now, tech companies are rushing to release AI video generators.
During the past year, nearly every major tech company has dropped some kind of AI video model. Between Google’s Veo 3, Midjourney and Sora, it’s quickly become a crowded market. AI videos are a huge leap forward in a company’s AI creative offerings, and they’re something worth keeping an eye on as generative AI becomes a bigger part of the content we create and see online. This is especially true as the advancement of the tech comes at a time when the legality, ethics and other concerns continue to surround AI creative offerings.
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Many of these companies also have chatbots and image generators, but I was surprised to find there were unique differences in the video generators. Some of my favorite image generator features pop up in the video models, while others are noticeably absent, for example. Because there are so many options, I’ve compiled all the major models you can consider, including their pricing, privacy and my hands-on testing of each.
This is everything you need to know about AI video generators. This list is regularly updated with the most recent info on each generator.
What are AI video generators?
AI video generators are one of the latest ways tech companies are using generative AI. These programs use text-to-video and image-to-video technology that lets you create short video clips. You enter a short description called a prompt, or upload an image to animate, and the software creates a clip entirely made with gen AI. These AI videos tend to be between five and 10 seconds long, and certain models offer synchronized audio. Because this tech is new, errors — called hallucinations — are possible.
What AI video models I can use right now?
Some examples of AI video generators you can use now are Sora by OpenAI, Veo 3 by Google, Adobe Firefly and Midjourney’s V1. They are all are paid programs that produce decent results and let you customize your shot with control panels. Runway, an AI start-up that co-created the Stable Diffusion image generator, is another AI video option with freemium plans. Other AI models from Luma, Pika and Ideogram are also available.
What are some other AI video projects?
Notably absent from this list is Meta. The company has devoted its resources to develop AI, but it doesn’t have a publicly available AI video generator. It teased a version of one in October 2024. Here’s what we know so far.
For more, check out our guide to writing the best AI image prompts and the best AI chatbots.
