ByteDance Unveils Jimeng AI, a Text-to-Video Generation Platform That Could Rival OpenAI Sora

ByteDance, the Beijing-based technology giant known for TikTok, has launched an artificial intelligence (AI) text-to-video platform. Dubbed Jimeng AI, the platform allows users to generate both images as well as videos from text prompts. The platform is said to be released on both Apple's App Store and Android as mobile apps but is only available to users in China. As per a report, the platform does not have a free tier and a subscription is required to use it. Jimeng AI joins other AI video platforms such as Runway, Pika AI, and yet-to-be-launched OpenAI's Sora.

Jimeng AI Video Generator Launched

The Jimeng AI platform was developed by ByteDance-owned Faceu Technology and offers image and video generation capabilities. According to a report by Reuters, the platform was released as a mobile app on the App Store on August 6 for Chinese users. The app was previously released for Android on July 31. 

Gadgets 360 found the website client can be accessed even outside China, however, to use it, one would need to create an account. Currently, Jimeng AI only allows people with registered Douyin (known as TikTok outside China) accounts to log into the platform.

Since the platform does not have a free tier, registered users cannot generate images and videos until they have selected a plan. According to Reuters, there are three plans one can choose from. The monthly plan with auto renewal is priced at CNY 69 (roughly Rs. 808), whereas to purchase a subscription for a single month, a user will have to pay CNY 79 (roughly Rs. 926). The annual plan is set at CNY 659 (roughly Rs. 7,726). Every plan reportedly allows users to generate approximately 2,050 images or 168 videos every month.

Coming to features, the basic image and video generation from natural language text prompts are available. The generated images can also be edited and refined using follow-up prompts. Once generated on Jimeng AI, users can either share it with others using a URL or save it on their device. There is an Explore page where users can share their work and others can comment on them.

Further, a Personalised Creations feature has also been added which allows users to replicate and customise others' work by using their prompts. It is unclear how this feature exactly works. It is also unclear whether the platform will be integrated with Douyin (TikTok) to allow users to create content for the platform using AI.