The Future is Here: AI Video Editing Arrives

Early Experiments with ChatGPT Video Editing Reveal a Powerful AI Assistant for Content Creators

AI video editing platforms are emerging that can take a simple prompt and automatically generate an entire edited video. One platform leading this charge is ChatGPT, an AI chatbot that utilizes plugins to scrape websites for information and generate edited videos in the CapCut editor.

I recently tried out ChatGPT's video creation capabilities and was stunned by what it could accomplish with minimal direction. To start, I gave ChatGPT a broad prompt to make a video with surprising animal facts for TikTok. After specifying a 9:16 aspect ratio, it immediately started generating a script, finding relevant images, and compiling them into an edited video complete with transitions and text animations.

The resulting video intelligently highlighted unique facts like an octopus having three hearts and a peregrine falcon diving at 240 mph. For a simple first test, I was impressed. But I wanted to try something more tailored.

Next, I gave ChatGPT a link to one of my articles on an AI platform called Ideogram and asked it to make a explanatory video about it. This time, ChatGPT used its web scraper plugin to pull key information from my article and turn it into a script. It created titles, selected background music, and populated the timeline with stock images in CapCut—completing the entire editing process without me lifting a finger!

The video accurately summarized my article’s key points about Ideogram in about 30 seconds. The visuals weren’t perfect since it didn’t have access to real imagery, but I could easily replace the stock photos in a few minutes. The time savings was massive.

Just for fun, I decided to test the limits and gave ChatGPT an off-the-wall prompt to create a 56-second dark comedy about a mystery-loving pig who outsmarts a farmer trying to turn him into bacon. It generated an impressively cohesive story with twists and humor that made me laugh out loud. The visuals perfectly matched the narration, down to a clip art farmer named “Farmer Joe.”

Intrigued by what else was possible, I prompted ChatGPT to create a 1-minute ominous alien message requesting help mastering the Macarena dance. The resulting video did not disappoint, with a humorously detailed script about aliens wanting to learn our moves in exchange for not vaporizing Earth.

With each test, I realized ChatGPT could create and edit videos of surprising complexity with minimal direction. While it has limitations around visuals and audio options, the exponential time savings on ideation and editing is groundbreaking.

I was able to iteratively improve the videos by asking ChatGPT to adjust parameters like length, aspect ratio, and background music. The fact that it operates conversationally, allowing tweaks through chat, makes it incredibly versatile.

In one of my most ambitious tests, I gave ChatGPT a link to a lengthy article on SpongeBob SquarePants controversies and asked it to summarize it in a 3-minute video. The resulting video was over 1-minute long and impeccably summarized the article’s main points. I was stunned by how much complexity its AI editing could handle.

The key limitations I noticed were the need to replace its random stock images, its use of the same background songs, and its video export occasionally failing. But these seem like solvable issues as the technology evolves.

It’s also worth noting that this technology raises interesting questions around AI-generated content and proper attribution. While ChatGPT is summarizing existing information, it is creating original edited videos that require ethical consideration.

But the creative potential is undeniable. With some imagination and iteration, ChatGPT could allow solo creators and small teams to make highly polished videos in a fraction of the normal time. It points to a future where AI assistants help us bring our visions to life far faster than ever before possible.

I’m excited by these early experiments in AI video generation because they provide a glimpse of what’s to come. As the technology improves, exponentially greater complexity will become possible. We could one day give an AI assistant a few prompts and come back to find a fully realized video worthy of going viral.

Of course, the human creative touch will always be irreplaceable. But AI promises to amplify our creativity, not replace it. With tools like ChatGPT just getting started, I can only imagine what video content creation will look like in 5 or 10 years. It’s an exciting time to be a creator.

If you found this peek at the future as intriguing as I did, be sure to subscribe to stay on the cutting edge of AI’s rapid pace of development. With new innovations arriving constantly, you won’t want to miss out. The opportunities for creators are expanding in unbelievable ways. And we’re only just beginning to explore what will soon be possible.