AI video generation arrives on Google Gemini Advanced: A game changer?

While text-to-video generation is now available for Gemini Advanced subscribers, it comes with a cap on the number of videos per month.

Screenshot from Google Gemini AI Video: Two Astronauts Explore Ice Cave. Image: Google

The artificial intelligence (AI) landscape continues its fascinating evolution by introducing groundbreaking features. This time, the spotlight is on a new AI video generation tool. Google, a prominent and leading contender in the AI race, is rolling out a significant and powerful update to its flagship AI initiative, Google Gemini, now enabling users to generate videos simply by providing a text prompt.

Today, Google officially announced the integration of Google Veo 2, a sophisticated text-to-video generation tool designed to effortlessly create videos directly within Google Gemini Advanced. This exciting new feature promises to generate clips with remarkable "cinematic realism." The Veo 2 model is the successor to its predecessor, the initial Veo model launched by the company in May of last year. This updated capability allows for the creation of video clips up to 8 seconds in length, rendered at a crisp 720p resolution and delivered as a standard MP4 file in a 16:9 landscape format. This strategic move, according to the company, aims to empower users by allowing "Gemini to bring your ideas to life."

The highly anticipated Veo 2 feature is currently exclusive to Google Gemini Advanced subscribers. While Google has not yet disclosed the specific quantity of videos these paid users can generate, there will be a monthly limit. To offer a glimpse of its potential, Google has shared captivating teasers showcasing video clips generated by Veo 2.

Animated mouse reading by glowing mushroom, generated by Gemini AI. GIF: Google

One such example provided by the company used the prompt: “An animated shot of a tiny mouse with oversized glasses, reading a book by the light of a glowing mushroom in a cozy forest den.” The resulting clips boast impressive quality, appearing both detailed and cinematic – a potentially transformative moment for content creators looking to establish and expand their presence online by generating valuable and engaging visual content.

Accessing the new video generation tool is straightforward. Users can simply click on the model dropdown menu within Gemini Advanced and select the video generation option. To achieve video clips that closely align with their vision, users are encouraged to provide more specific and descriptive text prompts. Following the generation process, Google has also streamlined the sharing of these videos to various social media platforms via a convenient three-dot menu and a direct “share button.” While the videos are generated in the widely compatible MP4 format, they can be seamlessly shared on popular platforms like YouTube and TikTok.

Recent activity indicates Google's strong commitment to rapidly advancing its AI models. The search giant recently introduced a significant Google Flash 2.0 upgrade and has also integrated new AI podcast features into both Google Gemini Deep research (with two hosts) and Google Docs. This latest AI video generation feature clearly demonstrates their dedication to innovation and responsiveness to user feedback.