Like its rival, Google, Amazon has launched an AI-powered video generator — but it’s only for advertisers at the moment, and somewhat limited in what it can do.
Today at its Accelerate conference, Amazon unveiled Video generator, which turns a product image into a few-seconds-long video clip after several minutes of processing. The company says that Video generator can curate “custom” AI-generated videos that “showcase a product’s features” at no additional cost.
In a statement, Amazon Ads VP Jay Richman said that Video generator, which is currently in beta for select U.S. advertisers, will be fine-tuned over time ahead of a wider release.
“Video generator is another meaningful innovation that leverages generative AI to inspire creativity and deliver more value for both advertisers and shoppers,” Richman said. “We are hard at work delivering generative AI applications that empower advertisers to craft visually stunning, high-performing ads.”
A related new capability announced today, live image, generates short, animated GIFs from a still frame. Also in limited beta, it’s a part of Image generator, Amazon’s AI-powered image generation suite for marketers.
Amazon revealed few technical details about Video generator and live image; it’s not clear, for example, how long and at what maximum resolution generated clips can be. We’ve reached out to the company for more information and will update this post if we hear back.
Amazon’s expansion into generative video comes as others release their own video-generating technologies. AI video startups Runway and Luma released APIs this past week, and Google integrated its flagship video model, Veo, into YouTube Shorts.
As with all generative AI tech, there’s risks to using these tools.
Video-generating models are trained on a vast number of examples of videos to “learn” the patterns in these videos to generate new footage. Some vendors train models on copyrighted videos without obtaining permission from their owners or creators, and, when these models “regurgitate” copyrighted stills, it exposes users to IP lawsuits.
Amazon is one of several generative AI vendors that has said it’ll protect customers accused of violating copyright with media generated by its models, in keeping with its AI indemnification policy. We’ve asked the company if Video generator and live image are covered under that policy.
However the lawsuits pertaining to the legality of training on copyright content shake out, one thing’s becoming clear: Generative AI video tools threaten to upend the film and TV industry as we know it. A 2024 study commissioned by the Animation Guild, a union representing Hollywood animators and cartoonists, estimates that by 2026, more than 100,000 of U.S. entertainment jobs will be disrupted by generative AI.
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