AI upstart Manus launches text-to-video service to challenge OpenAI

The Zhitong Finance App learned that Manus, a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup, has launched a text-to-video generation feature to compete with companies such as OpenAI. Manus' artificial intelligence service is known for being able to perform multi-step tasks like humans, and the company said users can now also generate videos using similar text instructions. The company said on X that its artificial intelligence agents can turn text commands into structured, ordered video stories in minutes.

Paying users can get early access to the feature before Manus rolls it out for free to everyone. The company is challenging rivals like OpenAI's Sora, which is open to paying users through ChatGPT, and its pro version costs $200 per month. Other Western competitors, such as Runway, Synia, and Google, use subscription or pay-per-view pricing models.

In April of this year, Manus's parent company, Butterfly Effect (Butterfly Effect), made global headlines because it received financing from Benchmark, a well-known venture capital in Silicon Valley. At the time, tension between China and the US in artificial intelligence and other fields continued to escalate.

The text-to-video market is worth billions of dollars and has the potential to disrupt industries such as entertainment, education, and marketing.