Uncanny animation Google adds Veo 2 video generation to Gemini app Video generation starts rolling out today for Gemini Advanced subscribers. Ryan Whitwam – Apr 15, 2025 3:43 pm | 0 Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more Google has announced that yet another AI model is coming to Gemini, but this time, it's more than a chatbot. The company's Veo 2 video generator is rolling out to the Gemini app and website, giving paying customers a chance to create short video clips with Google's allegedly state-of-the-art video model. Veo 2 works like other video generators, including OpenAI's Sora—you input text describing the video you want, and a Google data center churns through tokens until it has an animation. Google claims that Veo 2 was designed to have a solid grasp of real-world physics, particularly the way humans move. Google's examples do look good, but presumably that's why they were chosen. Prompt: Aerial shot of a grassy cliff onto a sandy beach where waves crash against the shore, a prominent sea stack rises from the ocean near the beach, bathed in the warm, golden light of either sunrise or sunset, capturing the serene beauty of the Pacific coastline. Veo 2 will be available in the model drop down, but Google does note it's still considering ways to integrate this feature and that the location could therefore change. However, it's probably not there at all just yet. Google is starting the rollout today, but it could take several weeks before all Gemini Advanced subscribers get access to Veo 2. Gemini features can take a surprisingly long time to arrive for the bulk of users—for example, it took about a month for Google to make Gemini Live video available to everyone after announcing its release. When Veo 2 does pop up in your Gemini app, you can provide it with as much detail as you want, which Google says will ensure you have fine control over the eventual video. Veo 2 is currently limited to 8 seconds of 720p video, which you can download as a standard MP4 file. Video generation uses even more processing than your average generative AI feature, so Google has implemented a monthly limit. However, it hasn't confirmed what that limit is, saying only that users will be notified as they approach it. 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. If you don't want to wait for Veo 2 in the Gemini app, there's a way you can play with it early. Google's new video generator has also been added to Whisk, a Google Labs experiment announced late last year. Whisk allows you to generate images using both text prompts and example images. Starting today, Whisk has an "animate" option, which uses Veo 2 to turn your still creations into 8-second video clips. Interestingly, Google lists a 100-video monthly limit for Whisk, which could mean the same ceiling on Veo 2 usage in Gemini. Even with the ability to refine the starting image and style, we haven't been overly impressed with Veo 2. So you might run through that allotment in search of what you want. The video above was supposed to show a mysterious stone monolith on Mars, the rendering of which seems good enough. But we asked to see the Martian moon Phobos crash down on the monolith and turn it to dust. The "moon" just bounces past and goes poof to reveal the same monolith. At least insofar as planetary bodies go, Veo 2's understanding of physics could stand to improve. Google says it worked hard to ensure Veo 2 is safe and won't generate anything illegal or inflammatory. The generated videos are also marked with a SynthID digital watermark to label them as AI-generated. Although, Veo 2 probably isn't at the point that its output will be confused with reality just yet. Ryan Whitwam Senior Technology Reporter Ryan Whitwam Senior Technology Reporter Ryan Whitwam is a senior technology reporter at Ars Technica, covering the ways Google, AI, and mobile technology continue to change the world. Over his 20-year career, he's written for Android Police, ExtremeTech, Wirecutter, NY Times, and more. He has reviewed more phones than most people will ever own. You can follow him on Bluesky, where you will see photos of his dozens of mechanical keyboards. 0 Comments