2026 is the year AI video became an everyday tool. In February, Kling 3.0 and Seedance 2.0 brought clips with sound, Kling even in 4K. Google followed with the cheaper Veo 3.1 Lite, reportedly around 5 cents per second at 720p.
What does this mean for a production company? For us, the biggest gain comes before the camera rolls. Moodboards, animatics and test shots now take hours instead of days, and clients can see an idea move before they commit a budget.
The final piece still needs real people, real places and real products. A brand wants to show its own car, its own store, its own team, and AI can't replace the camera there. It can support it, though: extending a background, adding effects, or cutting alternative versions for each platform.
The market moves fast. OpenAI announced its Sora 2 API would close on 24 September 2026. That's why we don't tie ourselves to a single tool. We test new ones constantly, but the story always stays at the centre and technology is just the means.
