Kuaishou Technology (HKD Counter Stock Code: 01024 / RMB Counter Stock Code: 81024) (together with its subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities, hereinafter referred to as “Kuaishou” or the “Company”), a leading content community and social platform, made its first collective debut of AI models at a forum hosted on July 6th, titled “New AI • New Applications • New Ecosystem” (the “Forum”), as part of the 2024 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (“WAIC”). During the Forum, Kuaishou showcased its comprehensive AI model matrix, including advanced functionalities for its video generation model “Kling” (可灵) and image generation model “Kolors” (可图), among others.

At the Forum, the third upgrade of Kling was released following the release of the image-to-video and video extension functions within the past month. Kling is now accessible via web portal (https://klingai.kuaishou.com). Together with the high-definition version of Kling, the new features unveiled at WAIC include start and end frame control and shot control capabilities. Additionally, the duration for single text-to-video generation for creators has been extended to 10 seconds. Kolors has been officially open-sourced to foster industry vitality and build a more prosperous text-to-image model community ecosystem.

AI technology innovation has always been the driving force behind Kuaishou’s development, covering multiple areas such as content creation, understanding, and recommendation while also continuously advancing the smart operation level of Kuaishou’s commercial ecosystem. Mr. Gai Kun, Senior Vice President of Kuaishou and head of the User Growth and Operation Business and Community Science Line, stated, “Kuaishou will remain committed to investing in AI, vigorously driving technological innovation and bringing users the best AI technology.”

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Kuaishou’s AI Models Debut: Reshaping Content Creation, Understanding and Recommendations

Mr. Gai outlined the Company’s AI model matrix, which includes the KwaiYii (快意) large language model, recommendation large model, and visual generation model as key components. These models span content creation, understanding, recommendation and other aspects, playing a crucial role in enhancing Kuaishou’s commercial ecosystem. Notably, the recommendation model, SIM (Search-based Interest Model), with its scale of 10 trillion parameters, is one of the world’s leading recommendation systems. Its next-generation architecture, ACT (Action Transformer), is expected to add hundreds of millions of minutes of daily user time spent on the Kuaishou App, significantly enhancing user engagement and activity.

“We are dedicated to investing in and innovating large model technology to extract true value from real-world scenarios to meet genuine user needs,” stated Mr. Zhang Di, Vice President of Kuaishou and head of the AI Model team. “Through large model technology, we aim to reshape Kuaishou’s business by enhancing understanding, innovating interaction and exploring content generation. In content creation, we will develop a new generation of Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (“AIGC”) creation tools to offer a user-friendly, smart content creation experience. Additionally, we will enhance Kuaishou’s content understanding and distribution system for an improved user experience.”

Drawing on the KwaiYii large model, Kuaishou has developed video script generation, real-time live streaming script generation, and advertising lead customer service, all integrated with digital human technology. These advancements help advertisers produce high-quality video and live streaming content affordably, thereby improving lead conversion efficiency. In June 2024, Kuaishou’s peak daily spending from clients utilizing AIGC marketing materials exceeded RMB20 million, showcasing the enormous commercial potential of large models.

Ms. Liu Xiao, head of Kuaishou’s External Commercialization and AI Products, highlighted the success of nearly 20,000 merchants who have leveraged smart operations using AI model capabilities on the Kuaishou platform over the past six months, resulting in significant returns. In June 2024, compared to January 2024, the number of monthly active AIGC customers increased eightfold, the monthly GMV expanded 64 times, and the platform’s AIGC advertising revenue scale increased 12 times. Ms. Liu emphasized the ongoing empowerment of merchants with new, innovative business tools like Magnetic Creation, Nuwa Digital Human, and Pi Digital Employee. She stated, “We will continue to deepen the application of AI technology in commercialization, constantly innovating and developing to deliver more value for our customers.”

Kling AI Web Version Unveiled, with Advanced Frame and Shot Control Features

Following the introduction of image-to-video and video extension functions, Kling has embraced its third major upgrade within a month. The web version is now officially online. During the Forum, Kuaishou announced a significant upgrade to Kling’s foundational AI model, introducing enhanced high-definition quality as well as new editing capabilities like start and end frame control and shot control. Additionally, the maximum duration for single text-to-video creations has been extended to 10 seconds, marking the longest duration available to ordinary users in the industry for the present.

Kling, the world’s first video generation large model truly available to ordinary users, launched its text-to-video function on June 6th. At the Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, it unveiled additional new features including image-to-video and video extension capabilities, enabling the creation of videos up to approximately three minutes in length. Based on real-world physical laws, the videos produced by Kling exhibit cinematic quality and dynamic effects, simulating lifelike physical movements with large motion and surpassing the constraints of traditional video generation technologies. This breakthrough has not only garnered praise locally but has also sparked considerable international attention, heightening global interest in China’s advancements in AI technology.

To date, over 500,000 users have applied for access to Kling’s beta test, with the number of generated videos reaching 7 million. Popular creations such as “Old Photo Revival” have gone viral due to their emotional impact. Kuaishou will continue to focus on improving the model’s foundational quality, enhancing video clarity and introducing more innovative features to meet diverse user needs.

Mr. Wan Pengfei, head of Kuaishou’s Visual Generation and Interaction Center, stated that the latest release of Kling brings significant enhancements in seven areas: motion generation, generation duration, adherence to physical laws, video quality, command response, image-to-video conversion and video control. These upgrades enable the creation of clearer and more manageable videos of 10 seconds or longer.

Notably, the trailer for China’s first original AIGC fantasy short play, “Legendary Mirrors of Mountains and Seas: Splitting Waves,” premiered during the Forum, with Kling providing extensive technical support for the short play. The rapid advancement of AIGC technology has infused fresh vitality into the short play industry, significantly boosting the efficiency of short play production, creation, and operation.

Furthermore, to inspire AI enthusiasts, Kuaishou launched the inaugural Kling x KuaiYing (快影) video creation contest “A Surge of Inspiration” at the Forum. This contest, in collaboration with six top institutions, boasts a prize pool exceeding RMB300,000. Additionally, the contest launched the “Kling x Astral Short Plays (星芒短剧)” creator incubation program, inviting winners from each category to join a creator support program. This program offers notable visibility, cash rewards, and opportunities for direct engagement with industry professionals.

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Kolors Goes Open Source to Foster a Thriving Ecosystem for Text-to-Image Models

In the field of image generation large models, Kuaishou’s Kolors is at the industry forefront, boasting several core advantages including advanced semantic understanding, high-quality photographic visuals, and multi-condition controllable stylized generation capabilities. In the evaluation conducted by China’s authoritative organization, the Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence Institute, Kolors scored 75.23, ranking second globally in the text-to-image model area.

Kolors integrates Kuaishou’s extensive expertise in large language models, trained on billions of Chinese-language data points, making it the most proficient Chinese text-to-image model available. Its overall performance outshines both open-source models like SDXL/SD3 and closed-source models like Midjourney, setting a new benchmark for image generation in Chinese contexts. During the Forum, Kuaishou announced that Kolors would be officially open-sourced, aiming to energize the industry and foster a more prosperous community ecosystem for text-to-image models.

Additionally, the China Computer Federation (CCF) announced a collaboration with Kuaishou to establish the “CCF-Kuaishou Large Model Explorer Fund,” with the fund application channel opening concurrently. This fund plans to launch 12 research projects by the end of 2024, with topics eligible for up to RMB300,000 in support. The fund aims to address the rapid development of AI technology and the industry’s urgent demand for cutting-edge technology, focusing on the key technical research and development of the next generation of large models.

Mr. Gai reaffirmed that going forward, “Kuaishou will remain committed to investing in AI, vigorously driving technological innovation and bringing users the best AI technology.”