A new wave of AI-generated videos is taking the internet by storm. The videos—created with Google’s new, state-of-the-art AI video generator Veo 3—allow users to generate audio alongside visuals, leading to highly cinematic and hyperrealistic results. However, they are leaving users stunned and scared in equal measure, with many calling them so realistic they are “terrifying,” and fearing for the future.
What makes Google’s Veo 3 different from previous video generators?
In one video posted to the r/singularity subreddit on May 21, various people attend a bustling car convention. “Welcome to a non-existent car show,” announces the host. “Let’s see some opinions.”
Families, couples, and an old, white-haired biker all speak to the camera about their purchases, while the sounds of others milling around are heard in the background. The result is an ultrarealistic environment where the traditional uncanny valley element of AI-generated content is virtually non-existent.
“My grandma isn’t ready for this,” commented one user, to which another added, “None of us are.”
The video isn’t perfect, with some elements, such as the text on the biker’s badge reading ‘Hel’s Algels’ being a dead giveaway. However, as u/Lower_Monk6577 explained, this could be easily missed.
“If I were just scrolling through my Instagram feed and this video came up, I never would have second-guessed that it was real. If you really watch it, you can start to notice some of the uncanny valley. But that’s not really the point,” they said. “Nobody really watches anything critically when they’re doomscrolling. It’s just another piece of content that gets absorbed into your brain without you really thinking about it.”
When AI media feels too real
Another example was uploaded to X by Hashem Al-Ghaili with the caption: “I did more tests with Google’s #Veo3. Imagine if AI characters became aware they were living in a simulation!” The resultant video compiles various cinematic sequences in the style of popular movie genres, with characters uncannily breaking the fourth wall.
In one clip reminiscent of an action movie, a blood-covered man kneels on the floor in a hostage situation, while another reluctantly holds a gun to his head. “Look, I don’t wanna point the gun at you, but I must follow the prompt,” he says. The video has been viewed over 3.8M times, with one user declaring, “There’s a black mirror episode about this.”
Al-Ghaili’s video was also reposted to Reddit, where more users chimed in with their concerns. “Propaganda just got a new update,” said u/Paultheball95. “Well, it’s been nice knowing you guys, it’s time for me to leave the internet for good,” added u/KenyerTM_original.
“This is… haunting,” wrote X user @sunnyrekhi of the video. “Veo 3 generated characters decrying a fate controlled by prompts.”
Not all comments were negative, though, with a surprising number of people calling for one thing in particular. “Soon enough someone will remake [the] last seasons of Game of Thrones.”
How are the videos made?
The videos have been created using Google’s Veo 3, the company’s latest video generator, first announced on May 21, 2025, alongside Imagen 4 and Lyrica 2.
According to the Google DeepMind website, Veo allows users to add “sound effects, ambient noise, and even dialogue to your creations – generating all audio natively.” Google also claims the new tool is better than ever at lip-syncing and understanding prompts.
Alongside updates to Google DeepMind’s models, the company also released Flow, a filmmaking tool that allows users to weave together images, video, and sound into cinematic sequences.
Not everyone is as impressed as X and Reddit, though, with Veo 3 coming under fire from 404media, who claimed that, when given a prompt to generate a stand-up comedian telling a joke, the video told the same dad joke every time. The joke was: “I went to the zoo the other day, there was only one dog in it, it was a Shih Tzu.”
404media writer Emanuel Maiberg admitted the videos were still hilarious, but that “it also clearly shows Google’s latest and greatest AI video generator is creatively limited in some ways.”
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