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  • Gemini Advanced can make videos now, and they’re amazing

    Google has added a new and exciting feature to Gemini Advanced, its AI personal assistant and chatbot. Using just a text prompt, Gemini can now create an 8-second animated video, bringing your words to life in a way you won’t quite believe. The feature is powered by Veo 2, its video model introduced in late 2024, which is designed to create realistic videos complete with a deep understanding of human movements, real-world scenes, and even different lens types. 

    Google explains how it’s simple to create videos with Gemini and Veo 2. “Just describe the scene you want to create — whether it’s a short story, a visual concept, or a specific scene — and Gemini will bring your ideas to life. The more detailed your description, the more control you have over the final video. This opens up a world of fun creative possibilities, letting your imagination go wild to picture unreal combinations, explore varied visual styles from realism to fantasy, or quickly narrate short visual ideas.”

    The videos created by Google Gemini last for eight seconds and are generated in 720p resolution, and have a 16:9 aspect ratio. The MP4 files can be downloaded from your chat with Gemini, or shared directly to Facebook, Reddit, LinkedIn, or X from the feed. You can also share videos using a public link, and you can see some of the videos we’ve created using Veo 2 this way by following the links in the next section. 

    Trying out Google Gemini’s video creation

    If you’ve ever tried to make videos with AI before, you’ll already know the more detail you put in to the description, the more closely the result will match your vision. Google Gemini is no different, but it is really good at filling in the blanks when you’re quite vague with your prompt, and also has some interesting “ideas” of its own. 

    For example, I gave it a simple and deliberately short prompt to create a video showing, “A k-pop girl group playing a song on stage in a huge stadium. There are thousands of people watching and singing along, and almost all are waving light sticks to support the group.” The video it created is impressive, with the main singer having a distinctive K-pop idol style, and the stadium suitably packed. But what I really liked is the Korean text at the bottom of the screen, setting the scene and making it appear like it was a clip taken from a streamed live performance.

    For another clip, I used a much more detailed description to create a countryside scene, where a man and a cat walk along a lane flanked by abandoned farm buildings, with UFOs hovering over distant fields. The final video is really good and I love the way it captured the leafy lane I’d imagined, the cat’s movements, and the way the UFOs appear as the camera moves past the trees. These videos were made from simple prompts in just a few minutes, and it was fun to see what Veo 2 can do. Spend more time on crafting your scene, and there’s a lot of potential here. 

    How to get video creation in Gemini

    Google Gemini’s Veo 2 video creation mode is available to subscribers with Gemini Advanced, which costs $20 per month or 19 British pounds per month to access. It’s found under a new drop-down menu, where you can switch between different models — 2.0 Flash, 2.0 Flash Thinking, 2.5 Pro, and Deep Research with 2.5 Pro. Veo 2 is available on the desktop and on mobile, and Google states the feature will arrive from today and continue to launch over the coming weeks.

    If you have a Google One AI Premium subscription ($20 per month) and access to Google’s Whisk tool, you can use images to create videos. At this time, images can’t be added to Veo 2 to help inform it of style or appearances. Previously only available only in certain regions, Whisk is now available globally to subscribers. 

  • With new Gen-4 model, Runway claims to have finally achieved consistency in AI videos

    AI video startup Runway announced the availability of its newest video synthesis model today. Dubbed Gen-4, the model purports to solve several key problems with AI video generation.

    Chief among those is the notion of consistent characters and objects across shots. If you’ve watched any short films made with AI, you’ve likely noticed that they’re either dream-like sequences of thematically but not realistically connected images—mood pieces more than consistent narratives.

    Runway claims Gen-4 can maintain consistent characters and objects, provided it’s given a single reference image of the character or object in question as part of the project in Runway’s interface.

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  • Astrophysicist rates the science of 9 outer space movies and TV shows

    Paul M. Sutter shares the science behind movies and TV shows set in space.

    He talks about string theory in “3 Body Problem.” He discusses the portrayal of black holes in “Interstellar,” starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, and Matt Damon. He deconstructs wormholes in “Contact,” starring Jodie Foster; and “Event Horizon,” starring Sam Neill and Laurence Fishburne. He breaks down how humans could feasibly get to Mars in “The Martian,” starring Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, and Donald Glover. He explains how gravity assists work in “Armageddon,” starring Ben Affleck, Bruce Willis, and Billy Bob Thornton. He describes how stars die in “Avengers: Infinity War,” starring Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, and Chris Hemsworth; and “Sunshine,” starring Cillian Murphy, Michelle Yeoh, and Rose Byrne. Finally, he examines cosmic voids in “Star Trek: Voyager.”

    Paul M. Sutter is a cosmologist and astrophysicist. He has written three books and serves as a NASA advisor. He also hosts the “Ask a Spaceman” podcast. You can check out his audio and video appearances on his website or YouTube channel.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • How Japan’s 800-year-old indigo dyeing process is still standing

    Natural indigo dye has been used worldwide for thousands of years, but the invention of synthetic indigo dye in the 1800s caused the industry to crater. In Japan’s Tokushima Prefecture, only a handful of masters carry on the eight-century-old art of making a unique type of indigo dye called sukumo.

    However, the yearlong process of growing and fermenting natural indigo can’t compete with the efficiency and low cost of synthetic alternatives. Because of this, the denim industry uses about 55,000 tons of synthetic indigo a year, relegating natural indigo to niche uses like limited-edition items. Synthetic indigo requires a slew of toxic chemicals and excessive water.

    Industry experts consider natural indigo a sustainable alternative, but can it scale? We visited the Watanabe farm and workshop in Kamiita, Japan, to see how natural indigo is still standing.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • Trump deports over 200 alleged criminals to El Salvador’s maximum security prison

    The Trump administration has deported 238 people from the US to El Salvador. It claimed they are members of the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gangs. The deportations proceeded despite a judge’s temporary block.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • America wastes $6+ billion worth of recyclables a year. Can robots and AI help?

    The United States throws away $6.5 billion worth of reusable material every year, and the recycling rate has remained flat for over a decade. Now, tech companies are using artificial intelligence and robotics to make the process safer, more efficient, and more accessible. But can they really raise the recycling rate in a country with more than 9,000 recycling programs?

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • Trump orders airstrikes in Yemen

    President Donald Trump ordered US military airstrikes on targets in Yemen in retaliation to Houthi attacks on American ships in the Red Sea.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • American Airlines flight catches fire at Denver airport

    An “engine-related issue” caused American Airlines Flight 1006 to catch fire after landing at Denver International Airport.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • Former mobster rates 9 Mafia scenes in movies and TV

    Former mobster Anthony Ruggiano Jr. rates Mafia scenes in movies and TV shows.

    He discusses the portrayal of bust-out schemes in “Goodfellas,” starring Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, and Lorraine Bracco, and relates to his own time in witness protection. He explains how wars broke out between New York’s Five Families in “The Godfather,” starring Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, and James Caan. He separates fact from fiction about truck hijackings in “Donnie Brasco,” starring Johnny Depp. He talks about the infamous murder of “Crazy” Joe Gallo in “The Irishman,” starring Al Pacino and Joe Pesci. He breaks down how underworld gambling worked in “Killing Them Softly,” starring Brad Pitt, Ben Mendelsohn, and Scoot McNairy. He lays out the structure and roles of a Mafia family in “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” starring Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney, and Kaitlin Olson. He looks at how mob boss John Gotti is portrayed in “Gotti,” starring John Travolta. He details how gangsters turned into informants in “The Sopranos,” starring James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, and Michael Imperioli. Finally, he analyzes how the Mafia once controlled New York City’s construction business in “The Simpsons.”

    Anthony Ruggiano Jr. is a former proposed member of the Gambino crime family. He is now a counselor at a drug treatment center in Florida and host of the “Reformed Gangsters” podcast. You can find his podcast on YouTube.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • Why dismantling USAID could have deadly consequences

    The Trump administration has frozen foreign aid and killed USAID programs that administer humanitarian assistance across the world. We break down what this means for global stability in a video collaboration between Politico and Business Insider.

    Read the original article on Business Insider