🎬 AI video jumps from one-minute clips to ten-minute films
Higgsfield says its AI videos now run past ten minutes, up from about one.
Four-minute read. In today’s issue: AI video jumping from one-minute clips to ten-minute films, everyone testing Gemini 4 Argon, a free skill that turns your website into a launch video, a 74-shot music video made by one person, and a pop chart for AI songs.
RUNTIME
AI video just went from one-minute clips to ten-minute films
What changed. In a customer story published by OpenAI on 13 October, Higgsfield, the AI video platform, says its users can now make videos over 10 minutes long, up from about one minute, using OpenAI’s GPT-6 Astra. Its CEO says OpenAI’s GPT-Image-2.5 can now “reliably render the text and infographics” on top of images.
What it means for you. A full product tour, setup guide or explainer can now come out of one AI tool, along with promo images whose text is actually readable. Higgsfield’s CEO says one creator can now run a fashion campaign from start to finish.
The first step. Write the script for the one long video your customers keep asking for, such as a setup guide or product tour, so it is ready to try this week.
The limitation. These are Higgsfield’s own claims in OpenAI’s customer story. The post gives no price or plan for longer videos, and voice-to-video is described as the next goal, not a feature. We have not tested it.
OpenAI on Higgsfield’s ten-minute AI videos (openai.com)
MODELS
Everyone is testing Gemini 4 Argon, and the early verdicts are positive
Google’s new top model was the most-discussed topic of the day. Peter Yang tested it head to head with Meta’s Muse Wonder and asked whether AI is now a four-horse race, and Artificial Analysis published a full set of benchmarks.
Google says AI Pro and Ultra subscribers can use it in the Gemini app, but so far it is showing up on the Ultra plan first. It is early: run one real task through it next to the tool you already pay for before you move any seat.
Google on Gemini 4 Argon in the Gemini app (blog.google)
Just shipped
Shopify’s Sidekick assistant now works inside the checkout and customer accounts editor on desktop. Ask it how to set up your checkout and account settings, have it review what is already configured and why, or get app recommendations, instead of searching the help docs. It also explains the blocks and functions in the Checkout Blocks app.
Open your checkout editor this week and ask Sidekick to explain what your current setup does. (changelog.shopify.com)
The rest of the day
🗂️ Notion upgraded Version History so every edit shows highlighted diffs, every database row change is logged, and each change is tagged to the person or agent who made it, with a one-click restore, per Notion. Check it after a busy week of edits to see exactly what changed.
🎞️ A tutorial walks through automating a “skeleton ad” production pipeline end to end, part of a wider push toward automated ad creative, per Mike Futia. Worth a look if your team turns out paid ad creative each month.
📣 Facebook now lets people tell Feed and Reels, in their own words, which topics they want more or less of. Meta does not say how this changes reach for business Pages, so watch your Page’s numbers this month. (about.fb.com)
📊 Google Ads is adding a Data Strength Uplift metric that shows what your conversion setup adds. Google’s own analysis puts the gain at over 20% more Demand Gen conversions for advertisers using Google Tag Gateway. (blog.google)
🛠️ Built with AI
Sara Aurorix is an openly AI pop star, written and directed by one person. Her 74-shot music video “Out of Office” had a first cut 11 hours after the first lyric, says the making-of. Copy the move for a brand film: the storyboard, prompts and scripts are free to copy.
🧰 The Open Source Toolshed
What it is. Product Launch Motion is a free Claude Code skill that reads your website and turns it into a launch video: it writes the story, directs the scenes and renders a 60 fps video file with music and sound effects.
Who it’s for. An owner launching a product or service, or whoever on the team makes the social videos.
How hard it is. Needs someone technical: it runs in Claude Code on your own computer, with free tools (Node, Playwright, FFmpeg and Python) installed.
MIT licence. (github.com)
📈 The AI Odometer
Source: US Census Bureau, “Large Firms With at Least 20 Employees Biggest AI Users”, 26 May 2026, Business Trends and Outlook Survey data from December 2025 to May 2026.
Less than 20% of firms with four or fewer employees reported using AI.
What it means for you. The smallest firms are the slowest to adopt, so one AI tool used well is still an edge in a team of five. Run one weekly job through the AI tool you already pay for and time it against the old way.
Too early
Google has delayed skills inside Workspace apps “until further notice”. They were due to finish reaching Rapid Release domains by 12 October, and Google says it will share a new timeline once it is confirmed. Skills in the Gemini app itself are still rolling out, with completion expected by mid-November. (workspaceupdates.googleblog.com)
🎧 One for the road
Slopcore now has its own pop chart. Nine days after we covered the AI music videos taking over X, SlopHits ranks them, and listeners set the order in duels: two clips play, you pick the one that slaps.
More than 500 clips are in the running and only 20 make the countdown. At number one is “Bliss” by @anabology, the creator who named the style, with 2 million views on X. Number three is a song called “I am actually scared of linear algebra”.
From one post on 23 September to a ranked chart in three weeks. (slophits.com)