Google AI's new trick: Turn any image into a brief video

How it works: Subscribers can go to gemini.google.com, upload a photo and describe the motion and audio they want in the video — including background music, ambient noise and dialogue.

• Gemini generates an eight-second, 720p resolution video clip in a downloadable MP4 file.
• The tool takes two to three minutes to create the video.
• Axios test-drove the feature and found it diverting. The videos tend to evoke some "uncanny valley" feelings — which isn't necessarily a bad thing, considering the rise of deepfakes.

Between the lines: Google says it has done extensive red teaming on its video products to "fix potential issues before they arise."

• Threats to child safety, blood and gore, factual inaccuracies that cause real-world harm and other potentially dangerous content categories are not allowed.

Yes, but: As video generation tools get better, they threaten to blur the line between what's real and fake.

• Even if the tools don't advance, their wide availability could further swamp the internet with AI slop.

Go deeper: Google is putting more AI in more places.