AI news this week: Luma Variants launch, Eleven v4 on Runway Dev, FLUX 3 Image release
Verified round-up of the last 7 days in AI video, audio, image and creation tools.
This week, 29 September - 5 October 2026, we saw launches across video, audio, image and agent harnesses, with Luma Variants, Eleven v4 on Runway Dev, FLUX 3 Image and Deep Agents v0.6.
Video
Luma launches Variants
Luma has launched Variants. Now any Luma user can upload one approved static ad, pick formats and languages, and Variants builds every version for you. Your logo, headline, and CTA stay intact while the layout and copy adapt to each placement and market.
Luma has launched Variants.
Source: Luma Labs
Audio
Eleven v4 ships on Runway Dev
Eleven v4 (code: eleven_v4) is now available on Runway Dev. Generate expressive speech with audio tags like "[laughs]", "[whispers]", "[pause]" in the script. Scripts can be up to 2,500 characters, using the same Runway preset voices as Eleven v3. Billed at 2.2 credits per 1,000 characters until October 12, 2026 PT, then 5 credits per 1,000 characters, with a 1 credit minimum.
Billed at 2.2 credits per 1,000 characters until October 12, 2026 PT, then 5 credits per 1,000 characters, with a 1 credit minimum.
Source: Runway Dev
Image
Black Forest Labs releases FLUX 3 Image
Introducing FLUX 3 Image. Control every pixel. Make precise multi-turn edits without changing any other pixel. Lay out the image exactly how you want using bounding boxes. Generate in up to 4K to preserve details. Use up to 10 references to compose an image. Commercial Weights available for companies running image generation at scale. Open Weights version of FLUX 3 Image is launching in the coming weeks.
Introducing FLUX 3 Image. Control every pixel. Make precise multi-turn edits without changing any other pixel. Lay out the image exactly how you want using bounding boxes. Generate in up to 4K to preserve details. Use up to 10 references to compose an image. Commercial Weights available for companies running image generation at scale. Open Weights version of FLUX 3 Image is launching in the coming weeks.
Source: Black Forest Labs
Harnesses & open source
LangChain releases Deep Agents v0.6
Deep Agents v0.6 makes harness profiles a first-class abstraction. You can diff, version, and swap a profile alongside the model, so tuning work carries forward. We're shipping built-in profiles for major models so strong performance is the default, and the same machinery is available for your own stack.
Deep Agents v0.6 makes harness profiles a first-class abstraction.
Source: LangChain
Items were checked against their primary sources on 5 October 2026.
Sources and further reading
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