Google Adds Personal AI Avatars and Gemini Omni Editing to Google Vids

Google announced in July 2026 an update to Google Vids that allows users to create a custom digital avatar modeled on their own appearance and voice. By uploading a selfie and a voice recording, users can generate a digital version of themselves to star in AI-produced videos.

Alongside the avatar feature, Google is bringing its multimodal AI model Gemini Omni to Vids. The tool lets users generate videos by combining a written prompt with reference images, which Omni blends into a finished video. Omni can also edit existing footage — swapping out backgrounds, adjusting lighting, or adding effects to videos recorded on a phone. The model now supports step-by-step edits, allowing users to refine a video incrementally rather than restarting from scratch.

The updates expand Google Vids beyond its original function as an AI-assisted workplace presentation tool. As part of Google Workspace, Vids is positioned for business use cases such as company updates and training videos. However, the addition of personalized avatars and conversational editing could place it in closer competition with AI video tools including HeyGen, Synthesia, Captions, and D-ID.

Google says personal avatars will be linked to the account holder’s likeness and their Google account, and will be invisibly watermarked using SynthID. Access to the avatar feature is limited to users in certain regions who are 18 or older.

The move comes as the AI video space has seen notable shifts — OpenAI’s Sora, a competing AI video tool that had allowed users to generate videos of public figures, has since shut down. Google’s expansion of Vids suggests the company sees continued demand for personalized AI video creation, particularly within enterprise settings.