Google Vids just got a major upgrade: AI avatars are now powered by Veo 3.1

If you haven’t jumped into Google Vids yet, it is Google’s AI-powered video creation app for work. One of its most futuristic features is the ability to use AI avatars to narrate your videos so you don’t have to get in front of a camera yourself.

Today, those avatars are getting a serious upgrade – Google announced that Vids avatars are now powered by Veo 3.1, their state-of-the-art video generation model.

Moving past the “Uncanny Valley”

We’ve all seen AI avatars that look a little stiff or have lip-syncing that feels just a bit off. Google claims that with the move to Veo 3.1, their avatars are now preferred five times more often than those on other platforms. The upgrade brings a few specific improvements:

• Heightened Realism: Expect much more natural facial expressions and smoother lip-syncing that actually matches the audio.
• Steadier Framing: The “shimmer” or jitter sometimes found in AI video is being replaced with steadier, more professional-looking framing.
• Faster Generation: Not only do they look better, but they generate faster than before, which is huge when you’re trying to hit a deadline.

Why use an avatar?

It might feel a little strange at first, but for internal business needs, these are lifesavers. They allow you to create training videos, internal announcements, or support walkthroughs with a consistent character without having to book a studio or re-record every time a script changes.

Availability and “Promotional” Access

The rollout started yesterday, December 18, 2025, for both Rapid and Scheduled Release domains.

The availability is quite broad, covering most Workspace tiers including Business, Enterprise, and Education. Interestingly, Google is giving Business Starter and Nonprofit accounts access to these generative AI features through May 31, 2026.

Pro Tip: Workspace customers get a 30-day window of higher usage limits to experiment with Veo 3.1 avatars, so now is the time to go in and see just how realistic they’ve actually become.