Alibaba Confirms It Built the AI Video Model Topping Benchmarks
Alibaba has revealed it developed HappyHorse-1.0, an AI video generation model that climbed to the top of blind-test rankings for both text-to-video and image-to-video generation within days of appearing on the Artificial Analysis benchmarking platform on April 7.
The developers announced the affiliation Friday through a newly created X account, stating the model is part of Alibaba's ATH AI Innovation Unit and remains under development. Alibaba confirmed the disclosure to CNBC.
The anonymous launch had sparked speculation about whether the developer was a major tech company like Tencent or Alibaba, or an independent team. Alibaba's stock closed 2.12% higher Friday following the announcement.
Competition Shifts in Video Generation
HappyHorse-1.0 arrives as the generative video market contracts. OpenAI discontinued its Sora video generation app and platform, citing a strategic shift toward coding tools, corporate clients, and AGI development due to high compute costs.
ByteDance paused rollout of its Seedance 2.0 following copyright disputes with major Hollywood studios and streaming platforms. Those exits leave more room for Alibaba to establish dominance in video generation.
Previous video generation models from Alibaba included video capabilities but generated less attention and ranked lower than HappyHorse has achieved in its first week.
Broader AI Strategy
Alibaba Chief Executive Officer Eddie Wu has made generative AI and LLM development the company's top priority. The company built its Qwen large language model and chatbot app, and operates chip design and data center divisions.
Alibaba has integrated AI models into e-commerce, advertising, and entertainment products. The company could apply the same strategy to HappyHorse, embedding it across its existing business units.
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