TikTok makes an artificial intelligence move: It rivals Google and DeepMind with its new visual model!

Artificial intelligence technologies have been developing at an incredible pace in recent years, and tech giants are in fierce competition in this field. ByteDance, the Chinese tech giant behind short-video platform TikTok, has proven itself a strong contender in this race with a new visual AI model. This new model directly rivals Google DeepMind's advanced AI model, dubbed "Nano Banana."

ByteDance already has extensive experience in algorithmic AI, with platforms like TikTok boasting millions of users worldwide. However, the company's new visual AI model goes beyond text-based or voice-based AI, distinguishing itself with its ability to create and understand visual content. This move demonstrates ByteDance's ambition to become a leading player not only in the social media and entertainment space but also in the overall AI ecosystem.

TikTok owner ByteDance has launched its latest image-making AI tool, Seedream 4.0, which it says outperforms Google DeepMind's viral "Nano Banana" AI image editor in several key indicators.

Google Competitors DeepMind's Nano Banana

The "Nano Banana" mentioned in the report is a model developed by Google's AI research arm, DeepMind, known for its superior capabilities in certain areas. Positioning ByteDance's new model against a competitor of this caliber demonstrates the Chinese company's confidence in its technology and the advancement of its AI capabilities. This competition could accelerate the advancement of AI technologies.

Seedream 4.0, released by ByteDance in late August, has been widely praised for the consistency and accuracy of its image editing capabilities, which have hitherto been a challenge for AI image creators.

Seedream 4.0 claims to outperform Gemini 2.5 Flash Image in terms of rendering and editing in its internal benchmark, MagicBench, with stronger performance in fast alignment, responsiveness, and aesthetics.

The Beijing-based tech giant said that compared with previous models, Seedream 4.0 features a new architecture that accelerates raw image extraction speed by more than 10 times, making it a much faster tool to use. Online feedback has been positive, with users praising the accuracy of the editing function, which can make quick changes to images through text prompts. The tool is available to local users on ByteDance’s Jimeng and Doubao AI apps, as well as to enterprise customers through its official cloud service, Volcano Engine. On Fal.ai, a global generative media hosting platform, Seedream 4.0 costs US$0.03 per image generated, while Gemini 2.5 Flash Image costs US$0.039.

China has been quick to embrace AI-powered image and video creators, with the issue being hotly debated among major tech firms such as short-video app operator Kuaishou Technology and video game giant Tencent Holdings.

What Can Seedream 4.0, the New Visual Model, Offer?

While details of ByteDance's new visual AI model, Seedream 4.0, haven't been fully disclosed, such models typically have the following capabilities: Text-to-Image: Generating realistic or artistic visuals with written commands.

Image Editing and Enhancement: Automatically edit existing images and style transfers.

Visual Understanding and Labeling: Analyzing visual content and recognizing objects, scenes, and concepts. Video Creation: Creating animated videos from static images or text. Such capabilities could enable ByteDance to develop new, interactive content formats for TikTok and its other platforms. They could also open new doors in areas like advertising, e-commerce, and even the metaverse.

The AI ​​Wars Are Heating Up

ByteDance's latest move highlights the intensification of the AI ​​wars in the tech world. Alongside giants like Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon, Chinese tech companies are also investing billions of dollars in this field. This competition is leading to more advanced products and services for consumers and shaping the future of AI technology.

ByteDance's challenge to established players like Google DeepMind with its new visual AI model highlights the growing role of Chinese companies in global innovation.

Do you think ByteDance can compete with giants like Google in the field of artificial intelligence? We're waiting for your comments!