Competition in AI video generation heats up as DeepMind alums unveil Haiper

Competition in AI video generation heats up as DeepMind alums unveil Haiper

Haiper, a new player in the AI-powered video-generation landscape, has emerged with its tool developed by former DeepMind employees Yishu Miao and Ziyu Wang. The startup, established in 2022 after initial work in 2021, recently secured $13.8 million in a seed funding round led by Octopus Ventures, with participation from 5Y Capital. Haiper's platform allows users to generate short HD videos by inputting text prompts, featuring additional capabilities like image animation and video restyling. The company plans to maintain these features for free to build a community but is exploring commercial collaborations, having worked with JD.com on potential use cases.



With around 20 employees, Haiper is actively recruiting across engineering and marketing roles. While currently focusing on its consumer-facing website, the startup envisions building a core video-generation model that could be extended to other users. Despite not disclosing details about the underlying model, Haiper has privately engaged with developers to test its closed API, emphasizing the significance of iterative improvements based on user feedback.



Addressing the uncanny valley problem in AI-generated content, Haiper's CEO, Yishu Miao, expressed the company's dedication to refining the realism of AI-generated figures, particularly in scenarios like walking or snowfall. Although Haiper's consumer-oriented platform is the current priority, considerations about open-sourcing models for diverse applications have been acknowledged.



Competing in a field with notable players like OpenAI's Sora, Google, Nvidia-backed Runway, and others, Haiper aims to differentiate itself by evolving its video-generation model. Octopus Ventures' Rebecca Hunt sees the potential for Haiper to achieve differentiation by transcending the uncanny valley and incorporating real-world physics into its models.



Investors in the AI-powered video-generation space recognize the strides made but acknowledge the technology's ongoing evolution. While Haiper and its competitors navigate the market, the broader industry anticipates a transformative "ChatGPT moment" for video applications, indicating that significant advancements are still in the offing. It's worth noting that Geoffrey Hinton, previously mentioned as an angel investor, is not involved in Haiper as an investor, clarifying his connection with the startup's founders before its inception.