AI-video creator Pika Labs is metaphorically edging OpenAI and Sora out of the limelight, with a new platform. Pika 2.0 is a new version of the AI video creator that offers a range of new features. It comes just weeks after Pika 1.5 was released with its new visual effects.
Pika even takes a jab at OpenAI, referring to Pika 2.0 as “Not just for pros. For actual people. (Even Europeans!)” referring to the enterprise-focused Sora software and its limited global launch that has so far not included European countries.
Rivalry apart, Pika 2.0 is a pretty appealing product. It has a lot of new features. Scene Ingredients is the most notable. Imagine a virtual pantry with video elements that you can choose from. Pika’s AI will blend and bake the characters, props and backgrounds you choose.
Say you want to create a clip with a cat surfing in space. You used to have to write down a video prompt, maybe with an image of the cat. Scene Ingredients allows you to upload your favorite cat photo, a background image of a night sky, and a picture your dream surfboard and Pika will combine them into a cohesive, delicious scene. Pika 2.0 can better understand text prompts, even without images to embed into videos. This is thanks to the upgraded text alignment. You’ll notice that Pika is much less likely to mess with your idea if you’ve ever used an AI tool, and received something that was only vaguely similar to what you wanted.
For example, if you ask the AI to make a video of a dragon flying over a medieval castle at sunset, it will be more likely to produce a video that shows a dragon actually flying, a castle looking like a real castle, and a sun setting that doesn’t resemble a lava eruption. With upgraded motion rendering, the characters will be able to walk, fly, cartwheel, or roller skate without looking like their joints are not connected.
Pika for All
Pika wants to give the average person, or small group, control over making videos. OpenAI and Sora are mocked, even if it is in an indirect way, for their Hollywood-level projects. Pika 2.0 is aimed for those who make videos for TikTok or marketing videos to support side hustles.
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Eric Hal Schwartz has been a freelance writer at TechRadar for more than 15 years. He has covered the intersection of technology and the world. He was the head writer of Voicebot.ai for five years and he was at the forefront of reporting on large language models and generative AI. Since then, he has become an expert in the products of generative AI, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude. He also knows Google Gemini and all other synthetic media tools. His experience spans print, digital and broadcast media as well as live events. He’s now continuing to tell stories that people want to hear and need to know about the rapidly changing AI space and the impact it has on their lives. Eric is based out of New York City.
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