Google is expanding its AI-powered photo-to-video capabilities to Google Photos and YouTube Shorts, bringing the technology that debuted in its Gemini app to a broader audience. The rollout represents Google’s push to democratize AI video generation tools, though these implementations come with more limitations than the original Gemini version.
What you should know: The new features use Google’s older Veo 2 video model rather than the more advanced Veo 3 that powers Gemini’s photo-to-video tool.
- Google Photos users can create six-second video clips from still images, while YouTube Shorts allows variable clip lengths.
- Unlike Gemini, neither tool accepts custom prompts—users must select from predetermined options like “Subtle movements” or “I’m feeling lucky.”
- The Google Photos feature launches today for US Android and iOS users, with YouTube Shorts rolling out over the next week in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Key details: A new Remix tool will transform photos into different artistic styles, including anime, comics, sketches, and 3D animation.
- The Remix feature arrives for US Android and iOS users in the coming weeks.
- Both tools will be housed under a new Create tab in Google Photos, launching next month to consolidate creative features in one location.
- YouTube Shorts is also getting generative AI effects that can create images from doodles and apply video effects like underwater swimming or user duplication.
Important limitations: Google warns that both features are “experimental” and may produce inaccurate results.
- All generated content includes Google’s invisible SynthID digital watermark for authenticity tracking.
- Videos created in Google Photos also carry visible watermarks to clearly identify AI-generated content.
- Users can provide thumbs up or down feedback to help improve the tools.
The big picture: This expansion highlights the divergent approaches between Google and Apple in AI-powered creative tools.
- Google’s strategy embraces wide-open creative possibilities, sometimes pushing concerning boundaries.
- Apple’s Image Playground deliberately avoids photorealistic generation to mitigate deepfake and misinformation risks.
- YouTube’s new AI Playground hub, accessible via a sparkle icon, centralizes these generative tools for easier discovery.
Why this matters: The rollout significantly expands access to AI video generation beyond Google’s premium Gemini service, democratizing tools that were previously limited to more technical users while maintaining safety guardrails through watermarking and content restrictions.
Recent Stories
DOE fusion roadmap targets 2030s commercial deployment as AI drives $9B investment
The Department of Energy has released a new roadmap targeting commercial-scale fusion power deployment by the mid-2030s, though the plan lacks specific funding commitments and relies on scientific breakthroughs that have eluded researchers for decades. The strategy emphasizes public-private partnerships and positions AI as both a research tool and motivation for developing fusion energy to meet data centers' growing electricity demands. The big picture: The DOE's roadmap aims to "deliver the public infrastructure that supports the fusion private sector scale up in the 2030s," but acknowledges it cannot commit to specific funding levels and remains subject to Congressional appropriations. Why...
Oct 17, 2025Tying it all together: Credo’s purple cables power the $4B AI data center boom
Credo, a Silicon Valley semiconductor company specializing in data center cables and chips, has seen its stock price more than double this year to $143.61, following a 245% surge in 2024. The company's signature purple cables, which cost between $300-$500 each, have become essential infrastructure for AI data centers, positioning Credo to capitalize on the trillion-dollar AI infrastructure expansion as hyperscalers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Elon Musk's xAI rapidly build out massive computing facilities. What you should know: Credo's active electrical cables (AECs) are becoming indispensable for connecting the massive GPU clusters required for AI training and inference. The company...
Oct 17, 2025Vatican launches Latin American AI network for human development
The Vatican hosted a two-day conference bringing together 50 global experts to explore how artificial intelligence can advance peace, social justice, and human development. The event launched the Latin American AI Network for Integral Human Development and established principles for ethical AI governance that prioritize human dignity over technological advancement. What you should know: The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the Vatican's research body for social issues, organized the "Digital Rerum Novarum" conference on October 16-17, combining academic research with practical AI applications. Participants included leading experts from MIT, Microsoft, Columbia University, the UN, and major European institutions. The conference...