ByteDance reportedly launched a text-to-video generator in China through a new app dubbed Jimeng AI, stepping up competition with local rivals and OpenAI’s Sora.

According to Reuters, Jimeng AI is now available to Chinese users on Apple’s App Store following its launch on Android devices in July. The product is developed by ByteDance-owned FaceU Technology, which specialises in photo and video-editing apps.

The new offering enables users to generate short-form videos through text prompts, a generative AI technology that has been popular in the Chinese market since OpenAI introduced the concept through Sora in February.

Jimeng AI offers a monthly subscription costing $9.65 or $92 annually, with each plan allowing users to create 168 AI videos per month.

China-based companies have opened up their text-to-video model to the public in recent months, including Kling AI by Kuaishou Technology and Ying by start-up Zhipu AI.

OpenAI’s Sora has not yet launched commercially, but it is accessible to a pool of researchers tasked with identifying potential problems with the model. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, OpenAI’s CTO Mira Murati said the feature will launch publically this year.