How do I create my AI avatar in Google Vids?

You upload a selfie and a voice recording to create a custom digital avatar that looks and sounds like you. The avatar is tied to your account and watermarked with SynthID.

What regions and age groups can use personal avatars?

Access to personal avatars is limited to users in certain regions who are aged 18 or older.

What is Gemini Omni and how does it work in Vids?

Gemini Omni is Google's multi-modal AI model that creates videos from a combination of written prompts and reference images you upload. It can also swap backgrounds, fix lighting, add effects, and make step-by-step edits without starting over.

Video GenerationAI Business & IndustryTechCrunch AIJul 16, 2026Jul 17, 2026, 04:00 JST

Google Vids adds AI avatar, Gemini Omni for personalized video creation

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3 Key Points

What happened
Google announced updates to Google Vids on Thursday that let you create a custom digital avatar based on a selfie and voice recording, and integrated its Gemini Omni multi-modal AI model to generate videos from written prompts and reference images. The tool now supports step-by-step edits instead of requiring you to start over.
Why it matters
Google is positioning Vids as an all-in-one video creation platform that moves beyond workplace presentations into direct competition with specialized AI video startups like HeyGen, Synthesia, Captions, and D-ID. Personalized avatars tied to your account and watermarked with SynthID prevent misuse (addressing privacy concerns that plagued OpenAI's Sora).
What to watch
Personal avatars are available only to users aged 18 or older in certain regions. Google has integrated Vids into Google Workspace, signaling its push as a business tool for company updates and training videos alongside consumer creative features.

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Context & Analysis

Google's move reflects a strategic choice to fill the gap left by OpenAI's shutdown of Sora. Rather than abandon the AI video space, Google is leveraging its Workspace distribution and Gemini technology to compete head-on with specialized AI video startups. The integration of personal avatars directly into a Google account, combined with invisible watermarking via SynthID, addresses the identity and impersonation risks that constrained Sora's public availability and user trust. By tying the avatar to the account holder's likeness and adding age and regional restrictions, Google is building guardrails that other tools in the space — HeyGen, Synthesia, Captions, D-ID — also employ. Positioning Vids within Google Workspace signals that the primary business use case (company training, internal updates) remains central, but the new avatar and creative features simultaneously invite comparison with purely consumer-facing platforms, widening Vids' addressable market.

FAQ

How do I create my AI avatar in Google Vids?: You upload a selfie and a voice recording to create a custom digital avatar that looks and sounds like you. The avatar is tied to your account and watermarked with SynthID.
What regions and age groups can use personal avatars?: Access to personal avatars is limited to users in certain regions who are aged 18 or older.
What is Gemini Omni and how does it work in Vids?: Gemini Omni is Google's multi-modal AI model that creates videos from a combination of written prompts and reference images you upload. It can also swap backgrounds, fix lighting, add effects, and make step-by-step edits without starting over.

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