Google has introduced its video-generating AI model Veo 2 to subscribers of its premium Gemini Advanced service. The expansion is Google’s latest step to compete against OpenAI’s Sora video generation platform and other prominent rivals in the fiercely competitive synthetic media landscape. Just two weeks ago, Runway, a major player in AI video generation, launched the fourth generation of its own similar technology and successfully secured more than $300 million in additional funding.
Starting immediately, users subscribed to Gemini Advanced can select Veo 2 from the model drop-down menu available in Gemini apps. The service allows subscribers to generate video clips up to eight seconds in length, in 720p resolution, and with a 16:9 aspect ratio. Users can then conveniently share their video creations on platforms such as TikTok and YouTube directly from Gemini, or download them as MP4 files branded with Google’s proprietary SynthID watermark technology.
However, Google has set monthly limits on how many videos individual subscribers can generate. Additionally, current Google Workspace business and educational users are not yet supported by Veo 2 functionalities.
Alongside this release, Google announced it will integrate Veo 2 with Whisk, an experimental Google Labs feature that enables users to utilize images as prompts for AI-generated content. Whisk Animate, a new addition to Whisk, will enable subscribers to convert static images they produce into dynamic eight-second videos using Veo 2. Access to Google Labs features, including Whisk, requires a Google One AI Premium monthly subscription which costs $20.
Although Veo 2’s present capabilities might appear limited, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis recently explained that Google ultimately envisions combining Veo with the broader Gemini AI models. This integration could significantly enhance AI’s capability to understand and interpret physical environments more effectively.
Despite these advancements, creators and artists remain wary of the implications of rapidly evolving video-generating AI technologies such as Veo 2. The Animation Guild, representing Hollywood animators and cartoonists, recently commissioned a study indicating that over 100,000 jobs in U.S.-based film, television, and animation industries could face disruption from AI technologies by the year 2026.
