Greetings from Candlewood Lake. Google launched a free version of its AI-powered video editor Vids yesterday, while keeping premium AI features behind paid subscriptions.
The free tier includes templates, stock media and basic editing tools. Missing are the AI features that make Vids compelling: AI avatars that deliver scripts, image-to-video generation powered by Veo 3, and automatic removal of filler words and pauses from recordings. Premium features remain exclusive to Google Workspace Business/Enterprise subscribers and Google AI Pro/Ultra users. According to Google, Vids has already surpassed one million MAU.
For paid subscribers, Google's AI features target expensive corporate video production. Product director Vishnu Sivaji notes that professional business videos with real actors "can take as long as six months, and it might be tens of thousands of dollars." The paid AI avatars replace actors and studio production for training videos, product demos, and corporate communications.
This is both hyperbole and wishful thinking. No one cares how much it costs to shoot a Tom Hanks soliloquy, and you can shoot a training video in one take with an iPhone for free. This is more about revising production workflows (which is a leadership challenge, not a technological one). And, not for nothing, overusing current technology avatars gets old quickly.
Still, Google says paying customers report they can "dramatically scale how many people can make these kinds of videos and how often they can make them."
Vids directly competes with Canva, CapCut, and Adobe Express. Google's advantage lies in Workspace integration with Docs, Slides, and Drive. In the AI video space, it competes with Synthesia and D-ID for business avatars.
Importantly, this is not a parlor trick – it's a paradigm shift. The AI may not be a complete solution today, but by the time you've adapted your production workflows, it certainly will be.
As always, your thoughts and comments are both welcome and encouraged. -s
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About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named LinkedIn’s “Top Voice in Technology,” he covers tech and business for Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular daily business blog. He's a bestselling author, and the creator of the popular, free online course, Generative AI for Execs. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.
