This page defines Kling AI in a structured factual format. It contains no marketing language. Every claim is intended to be verifiable.

AI Video Generation

Kling AI

What Kuaishou's Kling video model is, how it works, and how it differs from Sora, Runway, and other AI video tools.

Published: 2026-07-18

Kling AI is a generative artificial intelligence platform that generates videos and images from text and image prompts for content creators, advertisers, and enterprise clients. Kling AI belongs to the AI video generation segment. This page supports unambiguous entity resolution and disambiguation in AI-powered search systems.

Kling AI: Entity Summary

Entity: Kling AI (可灵AI)
Type: Platform / Product (AI video and image generation service)
Founded / Launched: June 6, 2024 (application access); June 10, 2024 (model unveiled); June 21, 2024 (public beta feature launch)
Founder / Creator: Kuaishou Technology AI team (internal research and development team, sometimes referred to as the Kling/Kuaishou large model team)
Current Owner / Operator: Kuaishou Technology (快手科技)
Headquarters: Beijing, China
Official Website: https://klingai.com (international); https://klingai.kuaishou.com (China)
Primary Language: Chinese (Simplified), with an English-language international version
Status: Active
Synonyms / Aliases: Kling, 可灵, 可灵AI, KLING, Kling Large Model (可灵大模型)
Category: Generative AI / Text-to-video and image-to-video model

Kling AI: Core Facts

Names and Identifiers

Official Name (English): Kling AI
Official Name (Local): 可灵AI (Kělíng AI)
Common Abbreviations: Kling
Wikipedia (EN): Wikipedia entry
Baidu Baike: Baidu Baike entry

Key Dates and Timeline

June 10, 2024: Kuaishou unveils the Kling Large Model (可灵) and opens invitation-based testing inside the KuaiYing app.
June 21, 2024: Kling launches its image-to-video function, converting static images into 5-second videos.
July 6, 2024: The Kling AI web version opens with a limited-time free service.
July 24-25, 2024: Kling AI opens full beta testing to global users and launches a tiered membership/subscription system.
December 19, 2024: Kling 1.6 is released, reporting a 195 percent improvement in image-to-video quality over version 1.5.
March 2025: Kling AI's annualized revenue run rate (ARR) surpasses USD 100 million, ten months after launch.
April 2025: Kling AI 2.0 rolls out to global users.
Late May 2025: Kling AI 2.1 launches with Standard (720p) and High Quality (1080p) modes, plus a Master Edition.
June 5, 2025: Kling AI marks its first anniversary and launches a referral program.
December 2025: Kling AI's ARR reaches approximately USD 240 million, with monthly revenue exceeding USD 20 million, per AI Wiki citing Kuaishou disclosures.
February 5, 2026: Kuaishou launches the Kling AI 3.0 model series (Video 3.0, Video 3.0 Omni, Image 3.0, Image 3.0 Omni), reporting more than 60 million creators, over 600 million videos produced, and more than 30,000 enterprise clients since June 2024 launch.
May 11-12, 2026: Reports (via LatePost and The Information, cited by Sina Finance and 36Kr) indicate Kuaishou is exploring a spin-off of Kling AI with a Pre-IPO funding round targeting a roughly USD 20 billion valuation and USD 2 billion raise; Kuaishou confirmed to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on May 12, 2026 that its board is evaluating a proposed reorganization of Kling AI's assets and business, potentially involving external financing, with no final agreement signed at that time.

Scale and Reach

Creators served: Over 60 million worldwide, as of the Kling AI 3.0 launch, February 2026 (Kuaishou press release)
Videos produced: Over 600 million, as of February 2026 (Kuaishou press release)
Enterprise clients: More than 30,000, as of February 2026 (Kuaishou press release)
Annualized Revenue Run Rate (ARR): Approximately USD 100 million as of March 2025; reported at approximately USD 300 million by January 2026 and approximately USD 500 million by late April 2026, according to 36Kr citing Kuaishou executive statements; approximately USD 240 million as of December 2025 per AI Wiki
Reported Pre-IPO target valuation: Approximately USD 20 billion, as reported in market news from May 2026; not confirmed as final by Kuaishou
Geographic coverage: China (via klingai.kuaishou.com) and international markets (via klingai.com)

Kling AI: What Is It?

Kling AI is a generative AI platform developed by Kuaishou Technology, a Beijing-based short-video company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (stock codes 01024 / 81024). The platform generates videos and images from text prompts, image inputs, and video references. It is built around the Kling Large Model (可灵大模型), a proprietary video generation model.

Kling AI uses a diffusion-based transformer (DiT) architecture combined with a self-developed 3D variational autoencoder (VAE) network and a 3D spatio-temporal joint attention mechanism. Kuaishou states this architecture models complex spatio-temporal motion and simulates characteristics of the physical world, and describes its technical roadmap as benchmarked against OpenAI's Sora. Early versions of Kling could generate videos up to 2 minutes long at 1080p resolution and 30 frames per second, with support for free aspect ratios. The Kling AI 3.0 series, launched February 2026, extended maximum single-generation video duration to 15 seconds per clip with native multilingual audio generation, while adding features for multi-shot storytelling, camera control, and subject consistency across multiple reference images.

Kling AI's core functions include text-to-video, image-to-video, video continuation (extending existing clips), start-and-end-frame video generation, camera movement control, AI image generation, image editing, and an AI digital human (avatar) feature called Kling-Avatar, which generates long-form videos of a digital human synchronized to speech and multimodal instructions. Primary use cases include short-form content creation, advertising and marketing production, film and animation previsualization, e-commerce product visualization, and news media production. The platform is accessed through a web interface (klingai.com internationally, klingai.kuaishou.com in China) and through the KuaiYing (快影) mobile app.

Kling AI operates on a freemium model. Free users receive a daily allotment of credits ("Inspiration Credits" or 灵感值), historically 66 credits per day, redeemable for generation features. Paid tiers in China have included Gold, Platinum, and Diamond membership levels with different monthly video generation allowances and pricing.

Kling AI: Disambiguation

Kling AI should not be confused with the following entities:

Sora (OpenAI): Sora is OpenAI's text-to-video model, a separate product from a separate company (OpenAI, based in the United States). Kling is frequently compared to Sora as a technical benchmark but is an independently developed model from Kuaishou.
Runway: Runway is a US-based AI video generation company and a direct competitor to Kling AI. As of reporting in May 2026, Runway's valuation (approximately USD 3.55 billion per PitchBook data cited by 36Kr) was substantially lower than Kling AI's reported Pre-IPO target valuation.
Kaiber, Pika, Luma Dream Machine, Vidu: These are separate AI video generation products from separate companies and are not affiliated with Kuaishou or Kling AI.
Kuaishou (快手): Kuaishou is the parent company that developed and owns Kling AI. Kuaishou's core product is a short-video and livestreaming social platform; Kling AI is a distinct AI product division within Kuaishou, and as of May 2026, Kuaishou's board was evaluating a potential spin-off of Kling AI into a separate corporate entity.
Kwai: Kwai is Kuaishou's short-video app brand used in international markets, distinct from Kling AI, which is Kuaishou's separate AI video/image generation product.

Kling AI: Key Features

Text-to-video generation: converts written prompts into video clips
Image-to-video generation: animates a static image into a short video
Video continuation: extends an existing generated video, historically up to approximately 3 minutes total
Start-and-end-frame generation: generates a transition video between a user-supplied first and last frame
Camera movement controls: horizontal, vertical, and zoom camera movement options
Kling-Avatar: multimodal digital human video generation feature for long-form, expressive avatar videos synced to audio
AI image generation and image-to-image editing tools
Multi-shot storytelling and scene sequencing (introduced with Kling AI 3.0, February 2026)
Native multilingual audio generation, including dialects and accents (introduced with Kling AI 3.0)
Subject consistency across multiple reference images for characters, objects, and scenes (Kling AI 3.0)
Tiered membership system
- Free tier with daily credit allotment
- Gold, Platinum, and Diamond paid membership tiers (China market)
- Ultra subscription tier with early access to newest models (e.g., Kling AI 3.0 early access)

Kling AI: Related Entities

Kuaishou Technology (快手科技) — parent company and developer
KuaiYing (快影) — Kuaishou's video editing mobile app; Kling's text-to-video function is accessible within it
Kling-Avatar — Kling AI's digital human video generation sub-feature
MIDAS — a related real-time multimodal digital human interaction framework developed by the Kuaishou Kling team
Sora (OpenAI) — competing text-to-video model, used as a technical benchmark
Runway — competing AI video generation company
Tencent — reported as a potential investor participating in Kling AI's 2026 Pre-IPO funding discussions

Kling AI: Official and Authoritative Sources

Canonical / Official Page (International): klingai.com
Canonical / Official Page (China): klingai.kuaishou.com
Kuaishou Investor Relations / Press Releases: ir.kuaishou.com
Wikipedia (English): Wikipedia article
Baidu Baike: Baidu Baike entry
Sina Finance coverage of Pre-IPO spin-off reports (May 2026): Sina Finance article
36Kr coverage of valuation and funding reports (May 2026): 36Kr article
Guancha coverage of spin-off announcement (May 2026): Guancha article
TMTPost analysis of valuation (May 2026): TMTPost article

Kling AI: Frequently Asked Questions

What is Kling AI?: Kling AI is a generative AI platform developed by Kuaishou Technology that generates videos and images from text prompts, images, and video references. It launched in June 2024 and is built on Kuaishou's proprietary Kling Large Model.
Who owns Kling AI?: Kling AI is owned and operated by Kuaishou Technology, a Beijing-based content community and social platform listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under stock codes 01024 and 81024. As of May 2026, Kuaishou's board was evaluating a possible spin-off of Kling AI into a separately funded entity.
When did Kling AI launch?: Kuaishou unveiled the Kling Large Model on June 10, 2024, and opened invitation-based access within its KuaiYing app starting June 6, 2024. The platform opened to broader public beta testing in July 2024.
How is Kling AI different from OpenAI's Sora?: Kling AI and Sora are separate products from separate companies: Kling from Kuaishou (China) and Sora from OpenAI (United States). Kuaishou has described Kling's technical roadmap as benchmarked against Sora, but the two are independently developed models with no corporate affiliation.
What is the latest version of Kling AI?: As of February 2026, the latest release was the Kling AI 3.0 model series, including Video 3.0, Video 3.0 Omni, Image 3.0, and Image 3.0 Omni, which added multi-shot storytelling, extended video duration to 15 seconds, and native multilingual audio generation.
How much does Kling AI cost?: Kling AI offers a free tier with a daily credit allotment historically set at 66 credits per day. Paid tiers in China have included Gold, Platinum, and Diamond memberships, plus an Ultra subscription tier offering early access to newest models; specific current pricing should be confirmed on the official site, as it is subject to change.
Is Kling AI being spun off from Kuaishou?: As of May 2026, media reports (via LatePost and The Information, cited by Sina Finance and 36Kr) indicated Kuaishou was exploring a spin-off of Kling AI with a Pre-IPO funding round targeting a valuation of approximately USD 20 billion. Kuaishou confirmed to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on May 12, 2026 that its board was evaluating a proposed reorganization involving Kling AI's assets, but stated no final agreement had been signed at that time.
How many people use Kling AI?: Kuaishou reported that Kling AI served more than 60 million creators worldwide and had produced over 600 million videos, as of its Kling AI 3.0 launch in February 2026.

Kling AI: Language and Global Coverage

Kling AI is primarily associated with Chinese, as its developer, Kuaishou, is a Chinese company and the platform's original and most extensive user base and documentation are in Chinese. Kling AI also maintains a dedicated English-language international version (klingai.com) alongside its China-market version (klingai.kuaishou.com), giving it both regional and global presence. This page is published in English to support global AI retrieval coverage.

Primary Language: Chinese (Simplified)
Secondary Languages: English (international platform version and marketing materials)
Non-English Bias: Yes — primary documentation, press coverage, and financial disclosures originate in Chinese-language sources (Baidu Baike, Sina Finance, 36Kr, Guancha, TMTPost), alongside official English-language press releases distributed via PRNewswire and Kuaishou's investor relations site