Video Generation

Today's Stories

1. 1

   Soracom Adds New Feature to "Wisora" — Handover Function Enabling Collaborative Response Between AI and Humans

   Soracom Adds New Feature to "Wisora" — Handover Function Enabling Collaborative Response Between AI and Humans

2. 2

   Google DeepMind invests $75M in A24, signaling shift from video tools to content

   Google DeepMind invested $75 million（約120億円） in indie film studio A24 this week, with the two companies partnering to develop AI tools for filmmakers. Investment in AI video and media tech startups has more than tripled over the past five years, reaching $5.6 billion（約9000億円） this year, up over 43% from 2025's annual total. The market is shifting beyond competition over video-generation technology itself. Video generation is becoming easier to build, with new models from China rivaling US and European products, and incumbents developing their own AI capabilities. This means the real value may now lie in content creation and end products, not just the software layer—a change that opens opportunities for creative studios alongside tech companies.

   VCs are beginning to fund AI-native or AI-powered studios. Promise has raised funding from backers including Andreessen Horowitz and Google's AI Futures Fund, and London-based Wonder raised $12 million（約19億円） from investors including Atomico and LocalGlobe.

3. 3

   DeepSeek R1 tops reasoning benchmark, claims #2 open-weights rank

   DeepSeek released R1, an open-weights reasoning model that scores 96.3 on AIME 2024 (a math competition benchmark) and claims the #2 position among open-weights reasoning models. The model uses a technique called chain-of-thought reasoning, where it shows its work step-by-step before arriving at an answer. Open-weights models—whose code and weights are publicly available—let researchers and companies build on the technology without vendor lock-in. A strong reasoning model in this category may shift how organizations approach complex problem-solving tasks, since they can now run advanced reasoning locally rather than relying solely on proprietary services.

   DeepSeek's reasoning capabilities are available now via API. The model is positioned as a reasoning-focused alternative in a field where proprietary systems have historically dominated performance benchmarks.

4. 4

   ByteDance unveils Seedance 2.5 video AI, launching early July

   ByteDance introduced five new AI models at Volcano Engine's FORCE conference, with Seedance 2.5 as the centerpiece—a video generation model scheduled to launch in early July. Video generation is a fast-growing capability in AI product development; new models from major tech companies shape what features become available to businesses and developers building on their platforms.

   Seedance 2.5 is set to launch in early July, when the model's real-world performance and ease of integration will become clear.

5. 5

   The Breakthrough for On-Site DX is Here. SORACOM Discovery 2026 Featured Sessions & Exhibitions

   The Breakthrough for On-Site DX is Here. SORACOM Discovery 2026 Featured Sessions & Exhibitions

6. 6

   Alibaba's AI video model becomes No. 2 as OpenAI shuts Sora, ByteDance shelves Seedance

   Alibaba Cloud released HappyHorse 1.1, an upgraded AI video generation model now available on Alibaba Cloud Model Studio with full API access for enterprise customers and developers. The release comes as OpenAI discontinued Sora and ByteDance indefinitely shelved the international rollout of Seedance 2.0 following copyright complaints from Hollywood studios. For enterprise teams relying on AI video tools for marketing, advertising, and content production, two major competitive options have exited or paused in a matter of months. This contraction sharply narrows the available choices for businesses evaluating or integrating video generation into their workflows.

   Alibaba is offering a 40% sitewide launch discount for the first two weeks to encourage adoption during this window of reduced competition.