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Google Vids makes AI avatars free, adds longer video generation along with multilingual voiceovers
Google
If you’ve wanted to turn presentations into videos without recording yourself, Google has some good news. Starting today, anyone with a personal Google account in the US can use AI avatars in Vids for free, with the rollout expanding to more regions later this summer. Free users get 10 monthly video generations that can be split between avatar creations and Veo-powered clips.
Your presentations just got an AI presenter, for free
Google
You can pick a default avatar from Google’s curated gallery, or build your own custom one using Nano Banana 2. Either way, scripts and voiceovers now support 24 languages, so the same avatar can pitch your product in English one day and Arabic or Vietnamese the next.
If you have already built decks in Google Slides, Vids will turn that presentation into a storyboard and write a script for an avatar to deliver on screen, so you don’t have to repeat the same pitch across time zones.
Google
Don’t want a face on screen? Paid users on AI Pro, Ultra, and Business or Enterprise tiers can swap in an AI voiceover instead. It now supports eight languages, including Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and French.
Paid Veo users also get to break past the old eight-second clip limit with extended Veo 3.1 limits in Vids. So now you can tell a longer story without scenes losing consistency halfway through.
What is coming next for your avatars in Google Vids?
Later this summer, an Emotion Steering feature will be rolled out to both free and paid users. This will allow you to adjust how an avatar or AI voiceover delivers a message so the tone better matches your intent.
Google
Emotion Steering feature builds on Direct Avatars, which already lets you place an avatar into a scene and have it walk, talk, and interact with objects just by typing a prompt.
With free avatars, multilingual voiceovers, emotion controls, and longer AI-generated videos, Google Vids lets you create professional content without the time and cost of traditional video production.
Manisha Priyadarshini is a tech and entertainment writer with over nine years of editorial experience.
Qualcomm reveals flagship XR processor and new framework for AI glasses
Qualcomm is laying the groundwork for the next generation of XR hardware with two announcements that target both the brains inside future headsets and the tools needed to build them.
At Augmented World Expo 2026, the company unveiled Snapdragon Reality Elite, its new flagship XR platform designed for devices running Android XR and other mixed-reality experiences. Qualcomm also introduced Snapdragon START, a new initiative aimed at helping brands bring AI-powered smart glasses and wearable devices to market more quickly.
Google releases Android 17 for Pixel phones
Gemini Intelligence arrives later this year for selected devices.
After months of rumors and two keynote events in May 2026, Google has finally released Android 17, the stable version. It's rolling out to eligible Pixel devices today, including models in the Pixel 6 lineup, all the way to the latest Pixel 10 series.
The stable build contains plenty of features showcased at The Android Show and Google I/O, but if you were hoping to get your hands on Gemini Intelligence, that will ship later this summer to “select advanced devices.” With that out of the way, here’s what Android 17 offers at launch.
Microsoft’s new Surface Pro 12 is its best 2-in-1 PC yet, but also its most expensive
The best Surface Pro yet comes with the highest asking price yet.
Microsoft just announced what is arguably its best Surface Pro yet. The 12th Edition of the Surface Pro 13-inch brings meaningful upgrades across the board, including both CPU and GPU performance, and, at the same time, the battery life.
All the upgrades surely make it an easy recommendation for someone looking for a capable 2-in-1 laptop that functions as a tablet when required, but allows you to attach a keyboard for getting things done even faster. There is just one thing standing in the way, and that involves your wallet.
