Google eliminated fees for AI video generation in Vids using Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash, expanding access for small businesses and marketers.
As of September 23, AI video creation in Vids no longer costs anything for Google and Workspace users, drawing directly on Google’s model lineup known as Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash.
The feature allows users to build promo videos, corporate landing page clips, and product launches using built-in templates or custom prompts. Every generated clip carries an invisible SynthID watermark.
Building Multi-Scene Videos With Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash
The updated tool introduces several modes in the side panel—including Create, Animate, Edit, and Extend—with toggles for aspect ratio and duration. Users can generate an initial 8-second clip by providing a detailed prompt covering the subject, location, action, camera angle, lighting, and sound.
Extend mode allows the model to continue a clip from where it ended. Instead of analyzing only the final frame, the model reviews up to 10 seconds of previous footage to preserve character continuity, lighting, and setting across extended scenes. Editors can upload reference images as ingredients, such as a company logo in PNG format, and instruct the model to place it as a neon sign on a studio wall. Footage can also be produced by uploading a product photo and prompting the model to animate the shot with camera motion and lighting changes.
Alphabet Targets Marketers to Monetize AI Video
Alphabet Inc. is targeting marketers and small businesses with the free rollout, offering templates designed for users without prior editing experience. The initiative builds on an initial April update that brought AI video to free accounts as part of an effort to monetize artificial intelligence across Search, Cloud, and advertising.
The monetization strategy relies on three vectors: free users hitting generation limits and upgrading to paid plans, businesses remaining inside Workspace instead of migrating to Microsoft or Canva, and increased video output driving more content directly to YouTube. Alphabet shares fell nearly 4% on the announcement day, though analysts noted the decline coincided with a tech selloff.
The number of hedge funds holding Alphabet stock rose from 265 at the end of the first quarter of 2026 to 275 by the end of the second quarter, with total holdings increasing from $72.4 billion to $93.7 billion.
AI Video Generation Increases Demand for Micron Memory
The computational intensity of AI video generation is driving heavier demand for accelerator memory and high-bandwidth memory for Micron Technology, Inc., even though Micron does not feature in Google’s public announcements. Because users rarely capture the ideal clip on the first attempt, repeated prompt executions draw heavily on memory infrastructure.
Wall Street earnings forecasts suggest analysts view current high margins as temporary, with earnings growth projected to slow after fiscal 2027. Micron maintains financial flexibility with $38.36 billion in cash and equivalents alongside $5.07 billion in short-term investments, weighed against approximately $5.18 billion in total debt.
Hedge fund participation in Micron climbed from 154 funds at the close of Q1 2026 to 184 by the end of Q2. The aggregate value of those hedge fund holdings more than doubled, increasing from $14.3 billion to $34.9 billion.