Google introduces personal digital avatars, upgrades Vids video tool

Google announced a new feature for its AI video tool, Google Vids: personal digital avatars. Users can upload a selfie and voice recording to create a virtual version of themselves. The avatar is tied to the user's Google account, includes SynthID watermarks, and is currently available only to users 18+ in select regions.

The multimodal AI model Gemini Omni is also coming to Google Vids. It lets users submit text prompts and reference images together to generate videos. Omni can create videos from scratch, change backgrounds, improve lighting, or add effects, and supports step-by-step editing without regenerating the whole video.

Originally a tool for workplace presentations, Google Vids now acts more like a full video creation platform, competing with HeyGen, Synthesia, and others. Google says avatars can only be made from the account holder's likeness to prevent impersonation.