Kuaishou launches Kling 4.0 and enters the race for 30-second AI-generated videos

Chinese company Kuaishou, which owns Kwai, unveiled Kling 4.0 on Monday, August 28th. This new AI model can create videos up to 30 seconds long based on text, image, or video prompts. The tool enhances Kuaishou’s video generation capabilities, putting it on par with competitors like ByteDance, OpenAI, and Google.

Kling 4.0 can process over a dozen combined inputs and allows users to set up to ten key frames to guide the final output. It’s an upgrade from Kling 3.0, released in February, which was limited to 15-second videos and already integrated text, images, audio, and video.

Currently, Kling 4.0 is in beta testing with a select group of users. A simplified version is available to annual subscribers, with a full launch planned for October, according to Kuaishou.

The competition in AI video generation

The industry leader is ByteDance, owner of TikTok, which introduced its Seedance 2.5 model in June and released it to the public in July. Seedance also generates 30-second videos in a single pass and can handle up to 50 inputs, reports The Next Web.

OpenAI’s departure of Sora created an opportunity for Kling to expand its user base. In video tool comparisons, Chinese solutions rank among the most widely used globally, alongside Google’s Veo.

A business valued at $18 billion

The launch comes as Kuaishou prepares for a potential IPO in Hong Kong, Bloomberg reports.

In July, Kling AI completed a $3 billion funding round, valuing the company at $18 billion. Investors include Tencent, Alibaba, and Baidu, according to Reuters. Following this investment, Kuaishou’s stake in Kling AI dropped to around 68%.

Kling AI’s revenue has grown much faster than the rest of the group. In the second quarter, the unit generated over 850 million yuan in revenue, a more than 200% increase from the same period last year, according to Kuaishou’s financial report. However, this represents less than 3% of Kwai’s owner’s total revenue, which reached 35.5 billion yuan in the period, a 1.4% increase.

Why Kling 4.0 matters

With its ability to create 30-second videos and support multiple inputs, Kling 4.0 rivals the features offered by competitors like ByteDance, Google, and OpenAI. This intensifies the competition between Chinese and American companies in the AI video generation market.