- The Google Vids platform now includes Veo 3.1 AI video and Lyria 3 AI music models, among other improvements
- The update is designed to make AI video creation easier and more usable for ordinary people
- The investment in Vids comes as OpenAI pulls out of Sora’s consumer-facing AI video platform
Sora’s disappearing trick has made many people wonder about the future of AI video production. However, Google is doubling down on the idea with a set of major improvements to Google Vids, a browser-based AI video creation toolkit. Once more targeted at business and enterprise services, the latest batch of updates is aimed squarely at the average dabbler in AI production.
The most notable addition is Veo 3.1, Google’s latest video production model, now built specifically for Vids. Anyone with a Google account can generate AI video clips for free, with ten generations per month included for personal users. Google lists it as a way to make animated flyers for parties, greeting cards, or other fun projects. Note that it doesn’t have to be a way to create some cinematic art.
For most people, the Veo 3.1 is less interesting as a piece of machinery than a shortcut. If you’re looking for a fun clip to open a family slideshow, a visual for a school project, or a quick social post for something you’re promoting on the side, the hardest part is usually not having an idea. It makes something look more than a detailed PowerPoint.
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It sings in sync with AI
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The same goes for AI-generated music. Google Vids covers the Lyria 3 and Lyria 3 Pro models, though it’s not available like the Veo 3.1. Only Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers can use them to create custom tracks ranging from 30-second clips to three-minute tracks.
Unless you have a knack for composing or arranging music, audio add-ons are more than a minor flourish. A lot of home videos are ruined by the soundtrack, even if the visuals are good. A slightly sensitive family montage can survive moderate changes. You can’t survive on a bad ukulele song with no money.
Vids also uses AI to create the look and sound of its “avatars”. These customizable digital characters can be directed to behave the way you want in the video while maintaining the same look and sound in every scene. You can ask AI models to adjust their settings, clothes, and even the accessories they interact with by writing your request.
It is also undoubtedly a deep feature in an unusual valley. But, if you’re okay with that, it’s also a clear example of Google trying to make AI in creative media feel like another software tool and not just something new.
Exit Sora, enter Veo for everyone
Although OpenAI may push back on the idea that everyday users want a different place to explore AI-generated video. Google’s move suggests that the company thinks people might want more AI video features embedded within the main platform.
Google is also promoting this aggressively. AI Ultra and Workspace AI Ultra users can now produce up to 1,000 Veo videos per month, which is not a typical feature number. That means “we think this is becoming part of the way people work and grow now”.
And that’s the really big story here. Google isn’t just adding AI bells and whistles to a video app because they’re making some bets about what the average person really wants from these tools. It’s not a stand-alone playground for productive experimentation, but a set of embedded features that help turn everyday moments into finished, sharable things with minimal effort.
That may also explain why this update feels better timed than it first appears. If the backlash of OpenAI buyers from Sora suggests that video AI as a space has been a harder sell than expected, Google’s approach points to a continued evolution of the category.
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