The Best AI Agents for Video Generation in 2026

Key Takeaways

• Sidekick on Mage is our top pick for an AI video agent. It plans the production, shows the price for approval, runs Mage's models from Cherry 2 Pro to Magejutsu, and checks every deliverable before it hands it back.

• A video agent runs the whole production. You describe the video, and the agent writes the plan, picks models, generates shots, and assembles the cut.

• The agents split by output. HeyGen builds presenter and avatar videos, Pexo and Topview build social clips and ads, and invideo's Agent Two builds edits on a full timeline.

• Check the spending controls. Sidekick has session limits and asks before it spends past a set step, so you can cap what a long job spends.

What Is the Best AI Agent for Generating Videos?

The best AI agent for generating videos takes a brief and handles the production, from the plan and the shots to the edit and a check of the result. On Mage, that's Sidekick, which plans, generates, edits, and checks whole productions with you.

That's a step past a video model, which renders the one shot you describe, and past a connector, which lets a chat assistant call a model. The 6 agents below differ most in how much they show you before they spend, and how much of the edit you can take back.

What Sets a Good Video Agent Apart

Here's what to check before you hand an agent a whole production.

It shows you the plan and the price

A good agent tells you what it's going to make and what it'll cost before it starts, so a 20-second ad doesn't turn into a surprise bill.

It picks the right model per shot

No single video model is best at every shot. An agent with several models can send dialogue, motion, and close-ups to different ones.

Your characters stay the same

A production falls apart if the lead changes face between shots. Saved characters and reference images keep them consistent.

You can step in mid-production

You should be able to change direction while it works, and take over the edit when you want to cut it yourself.

It checks its own work

An agent that reviews each deliverable catches broken shots before you do.

The Top 6 AI Agents for Video Generation in 2026

1. Sidekick - by Mage

Mage launched Sidekick on October 31, 2026, as its creative agent. Describe a production, such as an ad, a campaign, a short film, or an edited video, or start from a template, and Sidekick plans the work, runs the generations, edits files and timelines, and checks the result before it hands it back.

What it does well:

• Proposes a plan with its outputs and price on larger jobs, for you to approve or change

• Runs Mage's models and apps, including Mango 4 and Cherry 2 Pro, Mage's flagship image and video models, and Magejutsu

• Uses your saved Characters and References when you mention them with @

• Returns each deliverable with a quality assurance (QA) report and a critic score out of 10

• Session spending limits, plus approval before any step above the amount you set

• Sidekick can run on a free Mage plan, so you aren't locked into a subscription

You can steer at any point without starting over. Once Sidekick assembles a cut, an Edit timeline button lets you trim, move, or delete clips, and Sidekick picks up your edits. A Spend tab shows Gems used per session, split into generations, thinking and writing, computer time, tools, and web research.

Since November 5, Customize Sidekick sets its name, tone, how much initiative it takes, whether it saves Gems or aims for quality, and a default model for each job, from images to video edits and audio.

The catch: Sidekick runs on Gems on every plan, including its own thinking and computer time, and unlimited plans don't cover it.

Best for: creators who want to go from a brief to a reviewed cut in one session.

2. Video Agent - by HeyGen

HeyGen's Video Agent builds presenter and avatar videos with voiceover, motion graphics, overlays, and B-roll, in 1080p or 4K.

What it does well:

• Scene-by-scene breakdown and a preview before you render

• Motion elements stay editable in HeyGen's AI Studio

• Free plan with 3 watermarked videos a month, up to 1 minute each

Creator costs $29 a month for 600 credits, and HeyGen says Pro at $49 includes its maximum Video Agent access.

The catch: it's built around HeyGen's avatars, so it fits talking-head content more than cinematic shots.

Best for: explainers, training, and presenter-led marketing.

3. Pexo - by Pexo

Pexo turns a brief into finished social videos with voiceover, music, and motion graphics, and picks a model for each shot.

What it does well:

• Model choice per shot, including Seedance 2.0, Kling 3.0, and Nano Banana

• Works through script, scenes, shots, and storyboard with you

• Revisions by marking what to fix, with no restart

Pro costs $30 a month for 3,000 base credits, which Pexo puts at about 2 to 5 minutes of video.

The catch: edits happen through chat, with no timeline editor.

Best for: TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram creators who want finished posts.

4. Pollo Agent - by Pollo AI

Pollo Agent makes ads, user-generated content (UGC), story videos with consistent characters, music videos, and explainers.

What it does well:

• Confirms the direction and asks for missing details before it starts

• Organizes a plan for the video

• Adjust a scene or asset midway, or regenerate it

Pollo has a Free plan with 20 credits, and unused subscription credits don't roll over.

The catch: the agent page doesn't name the models it uses.

Best for: marketers who want a plan confirmed before generation starts.

5. AI Video Agent - by Topview

Topview's AI Video Agent runs on its Canvas and makes short films, micro-dramas, marketing and UGC ads, and recreations of reference videos.

What it does well:

• Proposes scenes for you to review

• Built for short dramas as well as ads

• Every shot stays editable on Canvas

Topview lists Seedance 2.5, Wan 3.0, MiniMax H3, and its own T1 model, and a separate 3D Shot Composer previews shots before you spend credits. Plus costs $18 a month billed yearly.

The catch: there's no free plan described, and the pricing page doesn't say which plans include the agent.

Best for: ad and short-drama makers who want to block shots before rendering.

6. Agent Two - by invideo

Agent Two is invideo's agentic video editor. It builds edited videos on a multitrack timeline from your footage and a description of the edit.

What it does well:

• Shot-by-shot storyboard to tweak before generating

• A review step before export

• A timeline you can take over at any frame, with multiplayer editing

Basic costs $9 per seat a month, or $4 billed yearly, for 190 credits and Agent Two Lite. Pro at $30 a month adds the Pro and Ultra agents.

The catch: Basic includes only the Lite agent, and no free plan is listed.

Best for: editors who want an agent's first cut on a real timeline.

Making a 20-Second Ad With Sidekick

Step 1: Open Sidekick and describe the video, or pick a template and edit its text and files.

Step 2: Attach your product photos, and type @ to mention a saved Character or Reference. Here's an example brief from Mage's docs:

a 20-second product video for these sneakers

Step 3: On a larger job, approve the plan, or decline it and say what to change. It lists the outputs and the price.

Step 4: Steer while it works. Send a message to change direction, or press Stop to end the turn.

Step 5: Review the deliverables and the QA tab, then open the timeline to trim or reorder clips.

Where a Video Agent Still Needs You

An agent can run most of a production, but the approval is still yours. You decide whether a plan and its price make sense, and Sidekick asks before it spends, publishes, or deletes. 

So is the budget. A session limit pauses the work at a set number of Gems, which is worth setting before a long job.

AI Video Agent Questions

What is an AI video agent?

An AI video agent takes a brief and runs the production. It plans the video, picks models, generates the shots, edits them together, and returns the result.

What's the difference between a video agent and a video generator?

A video generator renders the shot you describe. An agent plans many shots, chooses which model makes each one, and assembles them.

How much does Sidekick cost?

Sidekick runs on Gems on every plan. Each reply shows what it cost, and failed generations are refunded. Gems start at $10 for 10,000 on Mage's Gems page.

Can I use my own characters with a video agent?

On Mage, yes. Mention a saved Character or Reference with @ in your Sidekick brief, and it carries into every shot.

Can I edit what the agent makes?

Sidekick's Edit timeline lets you trim, move, or delete clips, and it picks up your changes.

Is Sidekick the same as using Mage from Claude?

No. Sidekick runs inside Mage. If you'd rather work from Claude or ChatGPT, the Mage Model Context Protocol (MCP) server connects them to Mage's models, as covered in our Claude video connectors guide.

Start From a Template

The quickest first session starts from a template. Pick one, swap in your product, character, or script, and approve the plan Sidekick proposes.

From there, steer it, cut it, and save the result to your creations.

Ready to hand off your next production? Open Sidekick on Mage and start from a template. Have fun creating!