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When OpenAI launched the AI video generation tool Sora back in December 2024, its ability to quickly create realistic videos from simple text prompts turned heads around the world. Six months later, Sora now faces a lot of competition, including Google's impressive new Veo 3 engine.
Perhaps that's why Microsoft Bing is now giving people free access to Sora with its own version of the AI video generator. Called Bing Video Creator, the tool is available for free on the Bing mobile app for users everywhere except China and Russia.
When you update or download the Bing app, you might see a tile for the Video Creator on the homepage. Otherwise, tap the right-most tab on the navigation menu and select Video Creator from the available options. To start generating videos, type your prompt in the dialog box and tap Create. You might be asked to sign in to your Microsoft account if you haven't already.
At launch, you can create five-second videos with an aspect ratio of 9:16—the same as an Instagram Reel. But it's not a quick process. If you choose the Standard pace from the settings below the dialog box, it might take several hours to generate one video. If you choose Fast, it might be faster, but it’ll still be a long wait. You can create 10 Fast videos for free. After that, you’ll need 100 Microsoft Reward points for each.
You can queue up to three videos at a time. Once the video is ready, you’ll receive a notification. All videos generated on Bing’s Video Creator will be stored for 90 days. You can download each video, share it via email or on social media, or copy a direct link to it.
Microsoft will follow the safeguards implemented by OpenAI for Sora. When its system identifies a potentially harmful prompt, it will block the video generation and warn the user. Each output from Bing’s Video Creator will also be watermarked based on the C2PA standard to help identify AI-generated videos.
Soon, Bing’s Video Creator will be available on desktop and support the 16:9 landscape aspect ratio as well.
When OpenAI launched Sora in December, the company was met with an “unexpected demand” and temporarily blocked new sign-ups.
At present, Sora is available on a standalone website, but OpenAI reportedly plans to integrate it into ChatGPT eventually. You need a $20-per-month Plus subscription to generate low-resolution (480p) 20-second videos and a $200-per-month Pro subscription to generate longer, high-resolution (1080p) videos.