Lights, Camera, AI! Google’s Veo 3 Takes the Director’s Chair
Bringing imagination to life
At a Glance: Earlier this month, Google unveiled Veo 3, the latest iteration of its AI video generation tool. It reached new levels of quality, with analysts calling it “impressive”, “scary” and saying “the world isn’t ready” for its impact. Unlike other tools, Veo includes native audio like spoken dialogue, and ambient noise, ending the “silent film” era for AI video. On-demand video generation is a powerful new tool for filmmakers, businesses and consumers but also raises the risk of deepfakes and misinformation.
Love Story or Fatal Attraction?
Hollywood’s relationship with AI is…complicated. Filmmakers regularly bring new technology to the masses: The Wizard of Oz introduced technicolor to moviegoers, Jurassic Park blew viewers’ minds with CGI dinosaurs and Avatar created new worlds using 3D. Innovations are so important that the Academy hosts a yearly “Sci-Tech” Oscars event to recognize pioneers in the space.
AI is already appearing in today’s movies. Studios used AI to “de-age” Harrison Ford by 40 years in Indiana Jones 5 and re-created Val Kilmer’s voice in “Top Gun:Maverick” using archived voice clips. AI is used throughout the movie creation process, and is especially helpful for smaller filmmakers who can reach studio level quality without million-dollar budgets.
Entertainment industry workers see AI as a threat to their livelihood, and made it a key issue in their 2023 strikes. Actors union president Fran Drescher said “If we don’t stand tall right now, we’re all in jeopardy of being replaced by machines.” The strikes were successful, winning concessions including transparency of usage, consent and compensation for digital replicas and human control over AI’s role in the artistic process.
AI Video and the Bottom Line
Companies are experimenting with AI-driven video. Hewlett Packard Enterprise created an AI avatar of their CEO Antonio Neri who delivers town-hall updates, fields FAQs and even appears as a hologram. Sonesta International Hotels built its employee training videos with AI so they can be rapidly updated and translated into multiple languages. In advertising, AI can cut production costs by 90% and generate 10x more versions to allow for rapid creative testing. Perception is important, however: critics panned Coca-cola’s 2024 AI-generated holiday campaign as “soulless” and “made from the blood of out-of-work artists”.
Handle with Care
AI generated videos pose risks for individuals. AI fakes of movie stars like Tom Hanks have been used in advertising scams and an AI-generated Volodymyr Zelensky called on Ukrainian soldiers to surrender in 2022. Deepfake porn has exploded in the past years due to AI, prompting Congress to pass the “Take it Down” act requiring platforms to remove material after notification. In Veo 3, Google strengthened detection and removal tools for abusive content and digital watermarking to make users aware when videos were created by AI.
My Take: You and Me
This century has seen an explosion in user-generated content on platforms like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. AI takes this to another level. Imagine creating a tailored message from Santa Claus to your kids, a live greeting card for a loved one, or an interactive favorite vacation memory.
When I was four, my Dad arranged for a family picture which included me, him, my grandfather Donald and great-grandfather Otto. Thirty years later, we did the same with my son Alex and his great-grandfather. These “four generations” photos are a cherished tradition in our family that (health and fertility permitting) I hope my kids will carry on with their children. With Veo 3, I can use these photos to create videos that will bring their ancestors to life and tell their stories.
We are in the early days of generated video, and sorting it out will be both powerful and messy. My hope is that we can look beyond the messiness to the special memories it can create in our lives.
Dad Joke: What did Google call its video generation tool for farmers? “VE-I-E-I-O” 😆