You might think this was the beginning of a sci-fi movie script. “But no – it's only 2025 and AI is getting better at translating plain English into moving images.
Gen-4 just dropped to launch Runway. 5and people do a sad double take. Gen-4, According to their own launch pad.
5 can create cinematic, realistic videos from text prompts – complete with believable physics, realistic movement and refined visual details.
Things have weight and momentum, objects move as they should, fluids flow in their natural path, and hair, fabrics, lighting, textures – everything stays together from frame to frame.
That in itself would have been impressive a year or two ago. But you know what's really wild? Like Gen-4. 5 is said to outperform benchmarks against the giants' super phones.
In a recent independent Video-AI ranking comparing other text-to-video systems, it achieved by far the highest score, outperforming models developed in much larger labs.
What does this mean if you're a creator, a storyteller, or just someone who cares about the future of media?
Suddenly, creating a short film or visual presentation – you could call it a film ad – is not limited by cameras, crews and studio budgets.
With good directions, lighting instructions, and descriptions of camera angles, you can end up with something that looks like real video.
The line between amateur experiment and professional production is starting to blur.
But let's face it: it's not perfect. Runway themselves acknowledge Gen-4. 5 still stumbles with “causal reasoning” – effects (and affects) appear before causes (doors open before someone touches the doorknob), or objects disappear/are mystically born between frames.
This may seem like a nitpick, but it's these errors that remind you that you're dealing with synthetic media.
If you're aiming for realism – perhaps a short film or animation that requires believability – perhaps these small flaws can distract from the experience.
However, I cannot take my eyes off this type of technology. It's like giving the world a pocket movie studio.
Let's say you're a student and you have an idea for a striking little speculative fiction scene – instead of searching for cast members, props, and equipment, just enter the parameters, move a slider or two, and boom: a visual story.
For independent authors, storytellers from forgotten parts of the world, for the weaker – such access significantly equalizes the opportunities.
On the other hand… the floodgates are opening. When anyone can create a compelling, inexpensive film with no special training or equipment, what happens to the tasks of film production – to copyright – to “authenticity”? And how can we even begin to examine what is true versus “AI truth”?
The revolution in video generated by artificial intelligence is not over yet. It's already here. From Gen-4. 5, is not just about using intelligent filters and cartoon animations.
We are getting closer to content that – if it weren't for the visual gadgets – could be considered real. And if you're a creator, it's both really exciting… and a little scary.
