D-ID

Google Vids Adds Personal AI Avatars

Google announced an update to Google Vids (part of Google Workspace) that lets users create custom digital avatars that look and sound like them from a selfie and voice recording. The update brings Google’s multimodal AI model Gemini Omni into Vids, enabling video generation from written prompts plus reference images, background swapping, lighting fixes and step-by-step edits. Google says personal avatars will be tied to the account holder’s likeness and Google account and will be invisibly watermarked with SynthID. Access to personal avatars will be limited to certain regions and to users aged 18 or older. The changes shift Vids from an AI-assisted presentation tool toward a broader video-creation platform that competes with AI video startups.

D-ID Launches Agentic Videos for Interactive AI Video

D-ID announced Agentic Videos, a new product capability that converts traditional, linear video into interactive, conversational experiences powered by real-time AI visual agents. Built on D-ID’s V4 Expressive Visual Agents and V4 architecture, Agentic Videos embed a human-like avatar into the video player to conduct natural voice or chat conversations, retain memory and knowledge, and ground responses in the original script while optionally using additional knowledge sources. The feature integrates with the simpleshow platform (following D-ID’s 2025 acquisition), offers sub-second response latency and expression control, provides analytics on conversation volume and topics, and is available immediately across all subscription plans on a credit-based model.

Google adds prompt-directed avatars to Vids

Google updated its Vids video editor with features that let users direct and customize avatars via natural-language prompts, integrate the Veo 3.1 video-generation model, export finished videos directly to YouTube (exports default to private), and record screens via a new Chrome extension. Vids can use prompts to keep character consistency while having avatars interact with products, props or equipment; users can also tweak appearance, apparel and backgrounds with prompts. Veo 3.1 can generate eight-second clips inside the editor; Google is offering 10 free Veo generations per month to all users and up to 1,000 Veo videos per month for Google AI Ultra and Workspace AI Ultra accounts. The update follows recent additions to Vids such as Lyria 3/Lyria 3 Pro music models and prior avatar, 2D/3D cartoon avatar and voice-language expansions. Competing vendors include Synthesia, HeyGen, D-ID and Lemon Slice.