By: Nick Gambino
Microsoft just announced they are adding an AI video generator to the Bing app. The generator built on OpenAI’s Sora model will be free for all users.
“Bing Video Creator represents our efforts to democratize the power of AI video generation,” a Microsoft blog post announcing it reads. “We believe creativity should be effortless and accessible to help you satisfy your answer-seeking process. Whether you’re letting your imagination run wild, bringing a story to life, or looking for that perfect video to communicate what you’re thinking, Bing Video Creator puts the power of video creation at your fingertips.”
All it takes for any user to create a video based on a simple text prompt is for that user to log into an existing Microsoft account. Now they can create up to 10 video clips for free. Each clip is only 5 seconds long and may take some time to render. We’re talking hours, not minutes. But at least up to three videos can be queued at once.
To create videos in Bing Video Creator beyond the 10 clip limit, the user will have to pay. Each video generation will cost 100 Microsoft Rewards points. They can earn points by searching using Bing or buying something through the Microsoft store.
For example, a simple search query will reward 5 points. You’re capped at earning 150 points a day which means once you cross the free 10 video clips, you’ll only be able to create one video a day unless you bank points.
This is still cheaper than using Sora through the OpenAI platform as that will cost you $20 a month. So for now, this is the only free way to use this particular text-to-video model. This move makes sense for two reasons. (1) Microsoft has invested a lot into OpenAI and (2) they are looking for any excuse to make Bing look more enticing as a search engine.
For now, this is only available through the Bing mobile app on both iPhone and Android. There’s no word yet on when Microsoft will add the Sora AI video generator to desktops, but they say it’s coming soon.
