According to @premium, xAI launched Grok Imagine 1.0 with 10 second videos, 720p resolution, and dramatically improved audio for X Premium Plus subscribers. According to @premium, the release includes higher usage limits and new features, with access available at grok.com/imagine. According to @premium, xAI reported Imagine generated 1.245 billion videos over the last 30 days. According to @premium, xAI described Grok Imagine 1.0 as its biggest leap yet.

According to Casey Lau, 2026 will be the breakthrough year for AIGC animation (source: Casey Lau on X). Google DeepMind stated its short film Dear Upstairs Neighbors is previewing at the Sundance Film Festival and focuses on solving the core challenge of control in generative AI, developed with Pixar alumni, an Academy Award winner, researchers, and engineers (source: Google DeepMind on X). This highlights a push by a leading AI lab toward controllable video generation and production-grade AIGC pipelines, a development traders can track for potential adoption in professional animation workflows (sources: Casey Lau on X; Google DeepMind on X).