Chinese AI ‘tiger’ MiniMax launches text-to-video-generating model to rival OpenAI’s Sora

Video-01 is the first iteration of the firm’s Sora-like tool, with future updates expected to enable users to generate videos from images

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Chinese tech firms have been making aggressive moves into the nascent market segment for text-to-video-generating tools. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 7:00pm, 2 Sep 2024Updated: 3:50pm, 6 Sep 2024

Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) start-up MiniMax has launched video-01, its new text-to-video-generating model, heating up competition with other mainland tech firms that look to catch up with the advances made by OpenAI’s Sora.

MiniMax – known as one of China’s AI “tigers” along with Zhipu AI, Baichuan and Moonshot AI – made video-01 available to the public via its website after unveiling the new tool at the company’s first developer conference in Shanghai on Saturday.

Video-01 enables a user to input a text description to create a video that is up to six seconds in length. The process from the text prompt to generating a video takes about two minutes.

MiniMax founder and chief executive Yan Junjie said at the event that video-01 is the first iteration of the firm’s video-generating tool. He pointed out that future updates will enable users to generate videos from images and to edit these videos, according to local media reports.

A video generated by OpenAI’s Sora is displayed on a smartphone. Photo: NurPhoto via Getty Images

Video-01 from MiniMax reflects how Chinese tech firms have been making aggressive moves into this nascent AI market segment, several months after OpenAI first unveiled samples of videos created by Sora in February and prompted concerns about the country’s ability to keep up with US advances. Sora remains unreleased to the public.

Founded in December 2021, MiniMax offers its new text-to-video-generating tool as part of its consumer-facing Hailuo AI platform, which also provides AI text and music-generating features.