Runway Gen 4.5 Tops AI Video Benchmarks 🎥

Startup Runway Beats Big Tech in AI Video

Author

Lauren Brandt
December 02, 2025

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Hey there,

What does progress look like when AI can outshoot studios, diagnose from a billion images, and keep coal plants running to meet demand? This edition digs into Runway’s Gen-4.5 video leap, a PACS viewer built on a billion-image model, and the coal-to-data-center pivot reshaping the grid.

Stick around to see how these shifts change creative work, clinical workflows, and energy reliability.

AI TOOL SPOTLIGHT

Descript


Descript lets you edit audio and video using text, and it adds AI features like background noise removal, clip creation, and AI video generation in one tool.

Best for

  • Podcasters, YouTubers, and content teams.

  • Non-technical founders who want to ship more video without hiring an editor.

How to use it

  • Record or import your video, then cut mistakes by deleting text in the transcript.

  • Use AI to remove filler words and clean up audio.

  • Auto-generate short clips from longer episodes for social media.

When not to use it
If you already have a complex, motion-heavy editing workflow in tools like Premiere or Final Cut, treat Descript as a drafting tool, not your final stop.

Pro tip
Build a repeatable workflow: “Record → Import → Clean audio → Remove fillers → Generate 5 clips.” Once that is locked, delegate parts of it to your team.

FEATURE STORY

🎬 Runway Gen-4.5 Claims Edge Over Google and OpenAI

Runway launched Gen-4.5 for creators and studios, saying it tops rivals on realism and control. Independent coverage cites benchmark wins over Google and OpenAI, with backing from Nvidia and SoftBank, adding heft. The practical win is steadier characters and stronger cause-and-effect, which tightens ad spots, storyboards, and pre-viz this week.

Key Takeaways:

  • 🥇 Leads the Benchmarks: Reports place Gen-4.5 ahead of Google and OpenAI on physics, motion, and cause-effect quality.

  • 🎥 Cinematic Control: More lifelike object movement, fluid effects, and camera moves that track text inputs with higher fidelity.

  • 🧩 Character Consistency: Holds look and scene continuity across shots, cutting reshoots and stitching in post for paid campaigns.

  • 📅 Rolling Availability: Gradual rollout begins now, so expect phased access as capacity for paid tiers expands.

🧠 1B-Image PACS Viewer Promises Faster Reads, Fewer Clicks

Raidium unveiled a model-native PACS viewer at RSNA 2025 for radiology teams. Built on Curia, a foundation model trained on over 1 billion images, it interprets complete exams and performs chained tasks such as 3D segmentation, comparisons, and structured reports. The lever is speed and consistency, with clinicians staying in control from a single cockpit.

Key Takeaways:

  • 🚀Benchmarked Gains: Across 19 tasks, Curia averaged 89.3% prediction accuracy vs. 79.1% for senior readers, pointing to stronger baseline support.

  • 🧩 One Interface: Visual or text prompts trigger 3D segmentation, longitudinal alignment, measurements, comparisons, and structured reporting, all fully editable and traceable.

  • 🗺️ U.S. Push: CEO Dr Paul Hérent relocated to the U.S. to support a focused market entry, with live demos at RSNA Booth 3965 for buyers.

  • 🧪 Oncology First: ONCOPILOT provides precise tumor segmentation, total burden tracking, and survival prediction across seven organs for research and routine workflows.

🔧 Data Centers Revive Aging Coal Plants, What’s Actually Working

Data center growth is keeping some coal units alive. Utilities are extending retirements, refreshing control systems, and tuning heat rates to hold the baseload steady. Emerson’s Seth Harris says fast power delivery is now the priority. The lever is uptime. Five 9s targets push quicker retrofits and even fuel additives like CoalTreat.

Key Takeaways:

  • 🔌 Five-9s Pressure: Data centers expect 99.999% uptime, pushing utilities to extend the life of older units through faster retrofits and tighter controls.

  • 🛠️ Smart Retrofits: Emerson notes cycling-ready upgrades and refreshed control systems squeeze more efficiency and reliability from plants once marked for retirement.

  • 🧪 Additive Wins: EES CoalTreat cut slag and fouling, improved heat rate, and expanded fuel flexibility, applied on-belt before combustion across multiple sites.

  • ⏳ Timeline Shift: Units slated to close are staying online for years longer, buying time while new capacity lags and demand climbs.

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Why It Matters

AI is no longer a single-industry story. Video teams, radiologists, and power operators now face the same pressure to move faster without losing accuracy, control, or trust.

The winners will be those who pair advanced models with strong processes, apparent oversight, and real-world reliability.

Until next time,

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