Google unveils Veo 3.1 Lite: the half-price video AI

Google recently announced the launch of Veo 3.1 Lite, a more affordable version of its AI-based video generator. This new model aims to make generative AI more accessible by reducing costs by 50% compared to Veo 3.1 Fast, while maintaining the same processing speed. Like all Veo 3 models, the Veo 3.1 Lite will also support audio in videos, enhancing the user experience.

Veo 3.1 Lite enriches the Veo product line with features such as text-to-video and image-to-video conversion. It supports 16:9 and 9:16 image formats and allows for video resolution of up to 1080p. However, unlike other models in the range, it does not support 4K resolution, which may not meet the demands of professional video creators.

Developers can customize the duration of the generated videos, with options of 4, 6, or 8 seconds, and costs are adjusted accordingly. The deployment of Veo 3.1 Lite began on Tuesday and is available through the paid tier of the Gemini API and Google AI Studio, including Google's film studio, Flow.

This launch comes shortly after OpenAI, a major competitor of Google in the AI field, announced the closure of its video generation app, Sora. This app combined a social network with an AI video creation tool but was shut down to allow OpenAI to reassess its priorities. AI video creation is a compute-intensive process, making it costly for AI companies, a reality that Google seems to want to circumvent with its business model.

In parallel, Google also announced a price update for the Veo 3.1 Fast model, with price reductions on the way. Here’s an overview of the new pricing:

| Model | Resolution | Price (per second) | |-----------------------|------------|--------------------| | Veo 3.1 Lite | 720p | $0.05 | | Veo 3.1 Lite | 1080p | $0.08 | | Veo 3.1 Fast | 720p | $0.10 | | Veo 3.1 Fast | 1080p | $0.12 | | Veo 3.1 Fast | 4K | $0.30 |

Making AI usage less costly is not only a concern for individual developers but also for the entire industry. This initiative from Google underscores its commitment to making AI video content creation more affordable, which could have significant implications for developers and the tech industry as a whole.