Google is adding the Veo 3 video generator to YouTube to slopify Shorts

Google will integrate the Veo 3 video generation tool into YouTube Shorts later this summer. This was revealed by YouTube CEO Neal Mohan at a keynote during the Cannes Lions film festival that was transcribed by The Hollywood Reporter.

This means that creators will be able to whip up endless clips via prompts, as Mohan said "the possibilities with AI are limitless." He went on to opine that "anyone with a story to share can turn their dream into a career" and "anyone with a voice can bring people together and change the world," thanks to "cutting-edge AI technology." Those are some high-falutin words for something that'll likely mostly be used to create clips of dogs playing piano or whatever.

To that end, there's the AI slop of it all. I use YouTube Shorts primarily to watch quick tutorials or clips of comedians. I don't want AI-generated tutorials because I think they'll probably offer incorrect information. I don't want AI-generated comedians because they aren't funny. So this isn't for me. If the platform becomes too stuffed with AI I'll just move onto TikTok or, gasp, Instagram Reels.

It's worth noting that YouTube already uses an older version of Veo for its Dream Screen background generation tool. However, Veo 3 is a fairly massive upgrade. It can generate full clips, with both video and sound, from prompts. It'll be able to crank out YouTube Shorts that look mostly real but maybe sort of a bit off if you squint.

There's an elephant in this AI-generated room. Veo 3 could easily be used to deepfake celebrities and pre-existing creators. The company is trying to get ahead of this by partnering with the talent agency CAA and creators to develop a tool that gives celebrities and other high-profile people control over their likeness on the platform.

Here's another lingering question. Will current successful creators that actually make stuff want to share the wealth with people who spit a few words into a chat field? More than 25 percent of people enrolled in YouTube's Partner Program make money from Shorts. This could scare some of them to rival services. We'll keep an eye on how this Veo 3 integration impacts traffic metrics of the various short-form video platforms.

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