Google Vids now lets you create a digital avatar of yourself and make AI videos

Google has announced a significant update to its video tool Vids, transforming it into a more comprehensive video creation platform. The update enables users to create a custom digital avatar that looks and sounds like them, based on an uploaded selfie and voice recording.

Additionally, Google has introduced its multi-modal AI model Gemini Omni into Vids. This allows users to create videos using a written prompt combined with reference images they upload. The model mixes these inputs together to generate the desired AI video. It can also perform tasks such as swapping backgrounds or fixing lighting in videos recorded on a phone, as well as adding effects.

Gemini Omni supports step-by-step edits, meaning users can make changes as they go instead of starting over from scratch. These updates push Google Vids beyond its original role as an AI-assisted workplace presentation tool, making it more of an all-in-one platform.

Google Vids remains part of Google Workspace, positioning it as a business tool for company updates or training videos. However, personalized avatars and conversational edits could bring it into closer competition with other AI video startups like HeyGen, Synthesia, Captions, D-ID, and others.

The company notes that the new AI avatars will be tied to the account holder's likeness, linked to their Google account, and invisibly watermarked with SynthID. Access to personal avatars is limited to users in certain regions who are aged 18 or older.