Competition among AI video makers is already in full swing, but the temperature has just risen again thanks to a new option called Hotshot, created by just four people. The new AI video maker offers a free alternative to Runway, OpenAI’s Sora, Luma’s Dream Machine, and other text-to-video AI models, with some impressive results stemming from its previous efforts in AI photo creation.
Hotshot’s latest text-to-video AI model is still in preview after four months of training on 600 million video clips. But it can produce up to 10 seconds of footage based on what you type. It’s an impressive tool not just for how the videos look, but also for the model’s flexible design. The videos it creates can be extended, linked with audio, or even remade in higher resolution using secondary tools. This makes Hotshot a great testbed for seeds of longer videos. Even without additional tools, you can get a single prompt for making videos in multiple styles, including comic book art and a mix of animation and live-action footage.
How to use HotShot
If you want to try out Hosthot, it's available for free on the Hotshot website, with unwatermarked videos. However, the free tier is currently limited to two generations per day, so ask carefully. The prompt field keeps track of how many generations are left. If you try to do more, Hotshot shows you its paid tiers.
It's fun to watch Hotshot being generated. First, there's a big black video screen, then it starts to fill with a grainy view of the generative rendition. A progress bar lets you know how long it will take to complete the clip. When it's ready, you can play it, copy the link to your video, or download it (it's in MP4 format). Regenerations require a premium account.
As Hotshot enters the competitive landscape of AI-generated video, it faces the challenge of standing out in an already crowded field of many alternatives.
The most successful AI video model is OpenAI’s Sora, but it’s still relatively unavailable. There are more affordable options from Runway, Stability AI, and Luma Labs’ Dream Machine. Hotshot will need to act fast to be more than a passing phenomenon, but there’s no shortage of industry interest for the foreseeable future.
