Who Needs a New Video Generation Tool?

No, seriously—how many of us have been genuinely frustrated because we couldn’t create videos from our desktop?

Let’s be honest: if we take out everyone who makes videos for a living—movie makers, documentarians, trainers, influencers—that doesn’t leave a huge audience. Most people, during the vast majority of their lives, don’t produce videos of any kind, for any purpose. The videos we do create are personal: family gatherings, vacations, concerts (there are a lot of those), and random moments we think will make us look interesting on social media. In short, videos of real things happening around us.

But creating anything beyond that? We leave that to the professionals—the brilliant storytellers who make it their craft and for whom we’re more than happy to pay. It’s the same with music. How many people have spent the last decade thinking, “I wish creating music was easier so I could crank out soundtracks all day long”? Sure, maybe someone here and there to enhance a cute family or vacation video. But otherwise, we’re content to stream music created by people who actually know what they’re doing.

The excitement around tools like Sora is both understandable and a bit overstated. The idea of generating a video from text is impressive—no question. But after we’re flooded with semi-realistic clips of people doing weird things with their bodies or cute characters with oversized eyes, what then?

Most of us will go back to our day jobs: accounting, business management, coding, repairing bicycles, teaching, parenting—the countless professions that make up the bulk of our time and don’t involve creating videos. Why? Because it’s not our strength. There’s a reason most of us didn’t become videographers, movie directors, or editing wizards in the first place.

This is where the real use case for these tools comes into focus. Platforms like Sora, Runway, and others, while groundbreaking, will ultimately cater to two groups:

• Creative Professionals: Those who already know how to tell compelling stories and will use these tools to enhance their craft.
• Tool Builders: Developers who will create intuitive solutions for the rest of us, guiding users who lack creative expertise to produce content that meets their needs.

The current “text-to-[everything]” phase of AI feels revolutionary, but it’s a stepping stone, not the destination. Two things will happen in the coming years:

1. The hype around everyone creating from scratch will fade. The truth is, most people don’t want to generate content—they want to consume it.
2. AI-powered platforms will shift toward helping users with creativity. Instead of leaving us with a blank page and a prompt, they’ll guide us through the process, suggesting ideas, formats, and styles tailored to our goals.

For videos, music, games, and photos, the professionals who excel at these crafts will remain at the forefront. They’re already practicing their trade, and tools like Sora will only make them better at it.

So, while it’s exciting to see what “text-to-video” can do today, let’s not mistake it for the revolution some claim it to be. Instead, it’s a step forward in the evolution of creativity—a new tool for the people who know how to wield it best. Period.

 

Main Photo by Terje Sollie