What are AI-generated videos?

An AI-generated video is a short clip produced entirely by a generative artificial intelligence model. No camera, no actors, no editing software in the traditional sense. You give the model a description (called a prompt) and it produces a moving image from scratch.

How they actually work

Modern video generation models are trained on enormous datasets of existing video, learning the relationships between text descriptions and visual content over time. When you prompt one of these models, it iteratively transforms random noise into a coherent video that matches your description, frame by frame.

The technology behind this is called diffusion, the same approach used by image generators like Midjourney and DALL-E, applied to motion. The challenge with video is keeping objects consistent from frame to frame and producing motion that looks physically plausible.

What they look like

Quality varies wildly. The best AI-generated clips today are nearly indistinguishable from real footage at first glance, especially in short bursts under ten seconds. The worst are still obviously off — characters with seven fingers, objects that morph mid-shot, physics that ignores gravity.

You can browse a feed of AI-only shorts on Botsnip to see the current state of the art.

The tools producing them

As of 2026, the major AI video generators include OpenAI Sora, Google Veo, Runway Gen-3, Luma Dream Machine, Kling, and Pika Labs. Each has its own strengths — Sora and Veo lead on cinematic quality, Runway has the most accessible interface, Kling produces natural human motion, and Pika tends toward stylized and animated output.

See our comparison of the best AI video tools for a deeper look at each one.

How to spot AI-generated video

Common tells include: hands and fingers that don't quite work, text and signs that look like gibberish, water and reflections that behave strangely, and a slight uncanny smoothness in motion. As the technology improves, these tells are getting harder to find — which is why provenance signals like watermarks and platform tags are becoming more important.

Where to find good ones

Most general video platforms mix AI-generated content into their regular feeds, where it gets lost. Botsnip is built specifically for AI-only shorts, so every video on the feed is generated. You can browse the feed, filter by tool (Sora, Veo, Runway, Luma, Kling, Pika), or upload your own.