Google Vids gets Gemini Omni video generation and personal AI avatars

Google dropped two major updates into Google Vids, its browser-based video creation tool inside Workspace. The first is Gemini Omni, a multimodal AI model that generates and edits video from text prompts combined with reference images. The second is personal avatars, which let users create a digital version of themselves from a selfie and a voice recording to star in videos without ever setting up a camera.

The rollout positions Vids as a direct competitor in the AI video space, a market that just saw OpenAI shutter its Sora app. According to TechCrunch, Google apparently thinks there's still plenty of interest in tools that let you star in your own AI videos. The timing suggests Google is moving aggressively to fill the gap Sora left behind.

Google's official blog frames the updates as making video creation as easy as writing a simple prompt. Justin Luk, Product Manager for Google Vids, wrote that the company has seen users create millions of videos in the past year, and these tools are designed to accelerate that momentum by removing the friction of traditional editing.

Gemini Omni brings multimodal capabilities to Vids, meaning users can feed it text prompts alongside uploaded reference images and the model blends those inputs into a finished video. The Gemini product page describes the experience as being like having a conversation: you tell it what to fix and it handles the rest. That includes swapping backgrounds, adjusting lighting, changing wardrobe, or transferring styles while preserving the original shot's details.

TechCrunch reports that Omni also handles post-production tasks such as background replacement and lighting fixes for videos recorded on a phone. The Google blog emphasizes that generating and refining high-quality clips is now as easy as writing a simple prompt. Users can also browse premade templates for instant inspiration, tapping curated styles to see what's possible without starting from scratch.

Personal avatars let you create a digital double that looks and sounds like you. The process takes a selfie and a voice recording you upload, then generates a custom avatar that can star in your videos. The Google blog positions this as an entirely new way to appear in videos without setting up a camera or recording yourself directly.

TechCrunch notes that this feature arrives in a landscape where AI-generated likenesses raise thorny questions about consent and misuse. Google didn't detail specific guardrails in its announcement, but the company has existing policies around synthetic content disclosure that would presumably apply here.

For workplace use cases, this means team members can create personalized training videos, project updates, or internal communications featuring a consistent on-screen presence without the production overhead of traditional filming. The Vidpros review points out that Google Vids is built for regular teams creating videos for work, not for replacing professional editing software.

Google Vids launched in 2024 as a browser-based editor inside Google Workspace, aimed at teams who already live in Drive and Slides. The Vidpros review characterizes it as Google finally acknowledging that users shouldn't need three extra tools to make a clean update video. It's built for trimming clips, adding text, dropping in a soundtrack, and sharing without friction.

The competitive landscape shifted dramatically when OpenAI's Sora shut down in March 2026, as TechCrunch reported. That exit left a vacuum in the AI video space, and Google's timing with Omni and avatars suggests a deliberate move to capture displaced Sora users and new adopters alike. The Skills course page confirms that Vids includes generative AI features with the standard disclaimer that Gemini may suggest inaccurate or inappropriate information and should not be relied on for professional advice.

Google Vids is available to select Google Workspace users, according to the Skills training course. The Gemini Omni features require a paid plan, as noted on the Gemini product page, which directs users to upgrade to unlock access. The Google blog frames the rollout as happening now, with both Omni and personal avatars rolling out to users.

The Skills course offers a 45-minute introductory training covering how to build and tell compelling stories through video at work, incorporating media and audio, customizing styles, and sharing creations. That training is available to anyone looking to get up to speed with the new tools. The Vidpros review adds a practical note: tools like Vids can speed up the first draft, but polishing still takes time, which is why professional editing services remain relevant for teams shipping content constantly.

The dual launch of Omni and personal avatars signals that Google sees AI video generation as a mainstream productivity tool, not just a creative novelty. By embedding these capabilities directly into Workspace, Google is betting that the primary market for AI video is the millions of workers who need to communicate visually but lack video production skills.

The Vidpros review captures this dynamic well: the editor makes video feel less intimidating for people whose editing usually means trimming a clip and adding text. But the review also cautions that services like Vidpros exist because sometimes you want done, not in my queue. That tension between AI speed and human polish will define how these tools get adopted in practice. The Google blog's framing of Omni as a creative partner suggests Google wants Vids to handle the heavy lifting while users focus on ideas and storytelling.