Google's advanced video generation tool, Veo, is now accessible to more users—specifically, Google Cloud customers. Announced on Tuesday, Veo will be available in private preview on Vertex AI, Google's platform for developing AI applications.
This expansion allows companies like Quora and Mondelez International to explore innovative uses for Veo. Quora plans to integrate Veo into its Poe chatbot platform, enhancing AI-driven interactions, while Mondelez International aims to create dynamic marketing content in partnership with its agencies.
According to Spencer Chan, Poe’s product lead, partnerships with tools like Veo broaden creative opportunities across AI technologies.
Introduced in April, Veo can generate six-second video clips in full HD (1080p) at 24 or 30 frames per second. It supports diverse cinematic styles, including landscapes and time-lapse shots, and even offers editing tools for generated footage.
The AI model’s capabilities include:
Understanding visual effects (e.g., explosions).
Handling basic physics like fluid dynamics.
Allowing masked editing for precise modifications.
Combining short clips into longer sequences.
Despite these advanced features, Veo faces limitations. It struggles with consistent object placement and often misrepresents physical behaviors, such as vehicle movement.
Veo is trained on vast datasets, potentially including some YouTube content, as per Google’s agreements with creators. While the specifics of the training data remain undisclosed, Google emphasizes using publicly available, curated datasets.
However, concerns over intellectual property persist. Generative AI models can inadvertently replicate copyrighted material, posing legal risks. To mitigate these, Google includes prompt-level filters and offers copyright infringement protection for eligible users.
Since its launch, Google has gradually integrated Veo into various platforms:
May: Veo was added to Google Labs for early testing.
September: A Veo feature was introduced to YouTube Shorts, enabling short-form content creators to generate custom clips.
To address potential misuse, Google embeds watermarks using its SynthID technology. However, the system isn’t immune to tampering.
Veo competes with video-generation tools from OpenAI, Adobe, and Runway, among others. Rivals have already partnered with major studios and agencies to showcase their capabilities, creating a competitive challenge for Google.
Additionally, the rapid development of AI raises concerns about job displacement in creative industries. A 2024 study predicts over 100,000 U.S. film and animation jobs could be impacted by AI by 2026.
Google’s cautious approach reflects its focus on refining Veo based on real-world feedback. While no timeline is set for Veo's general availability on Vertex AI, Google remains committed to enhancing its features for enterprise use.
In related news, Google’s image generator, Imagen 3, is now available to all Vertex AI customers, though some new features require a waitlist.
