Google Releases Veo 3 Artificial Intelligence Video Generator

What Happened?

Google has released its new Veo 3 AI video generator, which includes several features that are not available on most other AI video generators. In addition to creating eight second video clips, Veo 3 also produces dialogue and audio to go with its videos. The audio and dialogue features can generate not only sound bites but fully developed soundscapes and lifelike conversations. 

Veo 3 also allows artificial characters created by the program to be used in multiple video clips. And it allows users the option to tweak content by changing video angles, altering framing, and even customizing movements of the artificially generated images. 

Why it Matters

The quality of the video content generated by Veo 3 varies. Some of the videos have obvious indicators of being AI generated, such as quick, jerky movements of the people in the videos which look unnatural. But others can look authentic and appear real. Users can access Veo 3 in Gemini, which is Google’s AI chatbot, and in Flow, which Google calls ‘an AI filmmaking tool built for creatives, by creatives.’ Accessing Veo 3 does require a subscription.

There has been concern for many years that eventually AI will be able to generate content that observers cannot distinguish from real videos. Based on the quality of the Veo 3 content, it appears we may be near to that point now. Some of the people in videos generated by Veo 3 look real, making it difficult for observers to tell whether or not videos they are watching contain real people or AI generated characters that look real. 

The danger with AI generated images is that content with real-looking people can be used as a tool to spread disinformation online. Creators can get authentic looking people to say whatever they want them to, and to use the realistic appearance to fool observers into thinking they’re watching a real doctor, or historian. Or even by fraudsters trying to collect money for disaster survivors that aren’t real. 

Google says it wants to ‘help people and organizations responsibly create and identify AI generated content,’ but the problem is how to enforce those provisions. 

On the positive side, entrepreneurs or small businesses owners can use tools like Veo 3 to create marketing content for a fraction of the price they would normally have to pay a professional designer. Users can also create high quality video content purely for entertainment purposes much easier than ever.

How it Affects You

As AI changes the way people access the internet, it is also changing the type of content they encounter online. As AI generated videos become more numerous, it may become impossible for users to tell whether or not the people they see online really exist.