Haiper: The New Contender in AI Video Generation in Asia

TL;DR

• Haiper, founded by DeepMind alums, raises $13.8 million to compete in the AI video generation market.
• The company offers free video generation services with some limitations and collaborates with commercial entities.
• Haiper aims to solve the uncanny valley problem and differentiate itself in the competitive AI video generation landscape.

DeepMind Alums Unveil Haiper, an AI Video Generation Tool

Artificial intelligence (AI) video generation is rapidly gaining traction, following the release of OpenAI’s Sora model. Enter Haiper, a new AI-powered video generation tool created by two DeepMind alums, Yishu Miao and Ziyu Wang. With expertise in machine learning and 3D reconstruction, the duo has shifted their focus to video generation, unveiling Haiper to the public.

Funding and Backing for Haiper

Haiper has successfully raised $13.8 million in a seed round led by Octopus Ventures, with participation from 5Y Capital. Prior to this, the company secured $5.4 million in a pre-seed round backed by angels like Phil Blunsom and Nando de Freitas. This substantial funding will enable Haiper to further develop its AI model and expand its offerings.

Free AI Video Generation Services and Commercial Collaborations

Users can generate short videos on Haiper’s website by inputting text prompts, with certain limitations. The platform also offers features like animating images and repainting videos in different styles. Miao emphasizes the importance of building a community and keeping these features free. While it’s early for a subscription model, Haiper has already collaborated with companies like JD.com to explore commercial use cases.

Solving the Uncanny Valley Problem

Haiper aims to address the uncanny valley problem, focusing on fundamental issues like the appearance of AI-generated humans and natural phenomena. The company has privately reached out to developers to test its closed API and is considering open-sourcing its models for diverse use cases.

Competition and the Future of AI Video Generation

Competition in the market is fierce, with OpenAI’s Sora, Google and Nvidia-backed Runway, and other major players like Meta vying for a share. Rebecca Hunt, a partner at Octopus Ventures, believes Haiper must build a strong video-generation model to stand out in the next three years.

You can try Haiper here.

As AI video generation technology advances, how will it reshape the media landscape and redefine our perception of reality? Let us know in the comments below.

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