Google has officially launched Veo 3, an innovative AI video generator that sets itself apart from competitors by incorporating audio capabilities. The announcement was made on Tuesday, positioning the new tool as a direct competitor to OpenAI's Sora video generator.
What distinguishes Veo 3 is its ability to not only generate video content but also create and integrate audio elements, including character dialogues and animal sounds. According to Eli Collins, Google DeepMind's product vice president, "Veo 3 excels from text and image prompting to real-world physics and accurate lip syncing."
The advanced AI tool is immediately available to U.S. subscribers of Google's new Ultra subscription plan, which comes at a premium price of $249.99 per month. This subscription tier is specifically designed for dedicated AI enthusiasts. Additionally, users of Google's Vertex AI enterprise platform will also have access to the tool.
Additional AI Tools Announced
Alongside Veo 3, Google unveiled several other AI-powered creative tools. Imagen 4, the company's latest image-generation tool, promises to produce higher-quality images through user prompts. The tech giant also introduced Flow, a new filmmaking tool that enables users to create cinematic videos by describing locations, shots, and style preferences. Flow will be accessible through various Google platforms including Gemini, Whisk, Vertex AI, and Workspace.
Google has also updated its existing Veo 2 video generator with enhanced capabilities, allowing users to add or remove objects from videos using text prompts. Furthermore, the company has made its Lyria 2 music-generation model available to creators through YouTube Shorts and to businesses using Vertex AI.
Growing Competition in AI-Generated Content
These launches come at a time when imagery and video generation have become increasingly popular applications for generative AI. Earlier this year, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reported that ChatGPT's 4o image generator was so popular that it caused the company's computing chips to "melt," leading to temporary usage limitations.
Google's track record with AI image generators has been mixed. Last year, the company faced criticism when its Imagen 3 tool produced historically inaccurate results, leading to a relaunch of the product. Google co-founder Sergey Brin later attributed the mishap to insufficient testing.
As tech companies continue to advance their AI capabilities, tools like Veo 3 represent significant steps forward in creating more immersive and comprehensive AI-generated content, potentially transforming how digital media is produced in the future.
