Google Cloud unveils advanced AI models for creative industries

Google Cloud has introduced new generative AI media models on its Vertex AI platform, including Imagen 4, Veo 3, and Lyria 2.

The company stated that customers have used previous versions of these models to generate images, create videos, and add professional audio content across industries such as marketing and media. The release includes significant upgrades in image, video, and music generation capabilities.

Imagen 4, now available in public preview, is described as Google's highest quality image generation model. According to the company, it provides outstanding text rendering, improved adherence to prompts, higher image quality across various styles, and multilingual prompt support. These capabilities aim to support creators globally. The press release provides a range of example prompts, showing Imagen 4's ability to generate both photorealistic and stylised outputs, including comic strips, cinematic scenes, and retro-styled designs.

Veo 3 is the newest video generation model from Google DeepMind and is currently in private preview. The company reports that it enables text and image-based video generation with improved quality. Veo 3 includes the ability to generate speech, such as dialogue and voice-overs, as well as music and sound effects. The press release describes sample video prompts, such as animated adventure scenes and artistic visual transitions, to illustrate the complexity and creativity possible using the model.

Customer feedback highlights operational efficiencies from Veo and Imagen. Klarna, a digital payments provider, has adopted Veo and Imagen on Vertex AI to enhance content creation efficiency. David Sandström, Chief Marketing Officer at Klarna, said: "At Klarna, we're constantly exploring ways to push the boundaries of innovation in our marketing efforts, and Veo has been a game-changer in our creative workflows. With Veo and Imagen, we've transformed what used to be time-intensive production processes into quick, efficient tasks that allow us to scale content creation rapidly. Whether it's producing engaging b-roll, crafting eye-catching YouTube bumpers, or developing dynamic social media animations, these tools have empowered our teams to be more agile and creative. The results speak for themselves, driving increased engagement and content performance. With Google Cloud, we're laying the groundwork for the future of commerce and revolutionizing how we bring our brand to life."

Jellyfish, part of The Brandtech Group, has integrated Veo into its AI marketing platform Pencil and collaborated with Japan Airlines for AI-powered in-flight entertainment. David Jones, Founder & CEO of Brandtech, commented: "The addition of Veo 2 in Pencil reinforces our commitment to empowering marketers with sophisticated AI, enabling them to produce campaigns that are not only smarter and faster but also bolder and more artistically inspired. Our pilots have shown incredible results, with an average 50% reduction in costs and time-to-market efficiencies. This step change in control and quality turns previously impossible ideas into real marketing content in minutes. Japan Airlines is leading the way in applying Gen AI to the travel industry, and we're excited to see how other brands follow suit."

Kraft Heinz is another user of Vertex AI models to speed up creative workflows. Justin Thomas, Head Digital Experience & Growth at Kraft Heinz, said: "With Veo and Imagen on Vertex AI as part of our Tastemaker platform, Kraft Heinz has unlocked unprecedented speed and efficiency in our creative workflows. What once took us eight weeks is now only taking eight hours, resulting in substantial cost savings."

Envato has used Veo 2 to develop its new VideoGen feature, allowing creative professionals to convert text or images into cinematic video content. Aaron Rutley, Head of Product for AI at Envato, said: "We've tried many of the top video models, and Veo 2 has driven the most impressive results in terms of speed and quality across a diverse set of text and image inputs. Within the first few days of launch, tens of thousands of Envato subscribers were already accessing VideoGen, with nearly 60% of their generated videos being downloaded for use in creative projects. Since March, Envato has seen VideoGen usage surpass 100%+ month over month. It's been a pleasure working with Google Cloud to bring Envato's VideoGen feature to life with Veo."

Lyria 2, Google's text-to-music generation model, is now generally available on Vertex AI. The company says the model creates high-fidelity audio from text prompts, with increased creative controls for instruments, tempo, and other musical characteristics.

Captions, an AI-powered video creation tool, has incorporated Lyria 2 into its Mirage Edit feature. Dwight Churchill, Co-Founder and COO of Captions.ai, said: "At Captions, our Mirage Edit feature already gives subscribers the power to go from prompt to fully-edited AI talking video — complete with images, B-roll clips, voiceovers, and transitions. Now, we're adding a keystone element: adaptive music powered by Google's Lyria 2. With a single prompt, Lyria composes a score that syncs to the script, pacing, and transitions at every emotional beat, so our customers can publish cinematic short-form videos without ever leaving Captions or shuffling through stock libraries."

Dashverse has also adopted Lyria 2 for platforms such as Dashtoon and DashReels. Soumyadeep Mukherjee, CTO of Dashverse, stated: "We've always believed in empowering everyday creators at Dashverse — whether they're making comics with Dashtoon or short dramas on DashReels. Our move into dynamic, emotionally resonant storytelling with DashReels needed a music engine that was just as expressive and responsive. Lyria 2 on Vertex AI delivers exactly that. It gives our users studio-level control over music — adapting to emotion, scene, and pacing — without the overhead. It's not just a soundtrack generator; it's a storytelling amplifier. We're incredibly excited about what this unlocks for the next generation of AI-native creators."

Google Cloud states that security and safety are built into all generative AI media outputs. All created media incorporates SynthID, an invisible watermark technology for transparency. Safety filters are applied to both input prompts and generated content, with configurable levels to meet brand requirements and controls over the depiction of persons in visual outputs.