Camera firm Insta360 has announced a new drone brand called Antigravity capable of recording 360-degree video — a drone first. Shenzhen-based Insta360 made its name with the 360-degree X camera series, the latest of which, the X5, shoots 8K video and 18-megapixel photos. The Antigravity consumer drone will also record video in 8K and will be aimed at beginners who haven’t quite mastered their flight reflexes and want to capture everything and edit it later. “Ease of use is the starting point for all Antigravity products,” according to Insta360. The first Antigravity product is scheduled to be publicly unveiled in August. Continue reading Insta360 Says Antigravity Drone Will Shoot 8K Surround Video

Google has added new AI features to Google Photos and YouTube Shorts. Having previously introduced generative backgrounds, YouTube Shorts now has a photo-to-video feature, as well as a variety of menu-driven effects accessible via the Shorts camera that aim to advance social media or arts project creativity — things like turning line drawings into watercolors, putting a selfie “underwater” or adding a digital twin. And Google Photos, available on just about every Android phone, now also has the ability to turn stills to video. For now, both rely on the Veo 2 video model rather than Veo 3, launched in May. Continue reading Google Photos, YouTube Shorts Offer New AI Creation Tools

Google has added a new AI search tool called Web Guide. A Google Search Labs experiment, Web Guide will “intelligently organize” results pages according to specific aspects of the user’s query. Web Guide implements a custom version of Gemini AI “to better understand both a search query and content on the web” for what Google calls a “more powerful” search that enhances discovery of more on-point but obscure pages. Like AI Mode, a Google Labs experiment launched in March, Web Guide uses a query fan-out technique, “issuing multiple related searches to identify the most relevant results.” Continue reading Web Guide Is Google Search Labs Latest Gemini Experiment

Alphabet reported a 14 percent year-over-year revenue increase to $96.4 billion, propelled largely by growth in the Google Cloud and Google Search divisions. Artificial intelligence had a significant impact across the board, including in spending. Capital expenditure is expected to be roughly $85 billion in 2025, compared to $52.5 billion in 2024. Google Cloud generated $13.6 billion in Q2, up 32 percent from the same period last year. Advertising sales totaled $71.3 billion for the quarter, a 10.4 percent improvement from the year earlier frame. Google Search, which is integral to advertising sales, was up 11.7 percent. Continue reading Q2 Revenue Hits $96B as Google Invests in AI Search, Models

Startup Decart AI is showcasing MirageLSD, a “world transformation model” that can change the look of a camera feed, recorded video or game in real time. Built on the company’s Live-Stream Diffusion (LSD) model, Mirage debuted last week as a demo on the company website with iOS and Android apps scheduled for release this week. Mirage makes it possible to manipulate video continuously, in real time with zero latency. The technology has created buzz as a potential disruptor in the live-streaming space, and it looks like it could be an impactful special effects tool as well. Continue reading Decart AI’s Mirage Transforms Live-Stream Video in Real Time

Orlando, Florida-based digital distribution company FreeCast is launching Test Drive Live, a free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel that is also shoppable. The idea is to offer telecoms and ISPs the ability to offer “monetizable video” without requiring substantive infrastructure and hardware investments, FreeCast explains. Test Drive Live will be offered via FreeCast’s own streaming platform and through Roku. The company says that through FreeCast, Test Drive Live will be immediately available on Amazon Fire TV, Google TV, Apple TV, Xbox, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac “and most streaming devices.” Continue reading Test Drive Live: FreeCast Rolls Out Shoppable FAST Channel

Netflix revenue grew to $11.08 billion in Q2, a 16 percent year-over-year increase that helped drive net profit up 46 percent to $3.1 billion. The company’s operating margin rose to 34.1 percent in Q2, a nearly 7-point rise over Q2 2024 that along with 30 percent full-year guidance puts the streamer on par with tech giants such as Apple (31 percent) and Google (32 percent). Although Netflix no longer provides quarterly subscriber updates, the company did share results of its half-year Engagement Report, indicating members watched more than 95 billion hours of Netflix content during the first six months of the year. Continue reading Netflix Records Impressive Q2: Revenue Reaches $11 Billion

Adobe’s Firefly Video model has introduced new updates including Generate Sound Effects, in beta, and a text-to-avatar feature that lets users turn scripts into avatar-led videos “in just a few clicks.” Firefly becomes the second video model to generate audio, joining Veo 3, although unlike Google’s AI video tool Firefly does not yet generate dialogue. What it can do is output foley-like sound and sound effects, while text-to-avatar can generate speech. As with Firefly’s generative visuals, Adobe says Generate Sound Effects is “commercially safe,” which means they are trained only on licensed or publicly available material. Continue reading Adobe Adds Generative Audio and Text-to-Avatar to Firefly AI

Google has added photo-to-video capability to its Gemini AI app. Powered by Veo 3, Google’s latest generative video model, launched in May, Gemini AI can now turn images into 8-second videos complete with AI-generated sound including speech, environmental sounds and background noises. Available now via the Web to anyone with a $20 per month Google AI Pro subscription or those on the $125 per quarter Google AI Ultra plan, the new feature is also being released to mobile users this month for both iOS and Android devices. The videos are finished as 720p resolution MP4 files in 16:9 landscape format. Continue reading Google Offers Gemini AI Subscribers Photo-to-Video Function

Moonvalley, the AI startup behind Marey, a high-quality video generator trained exclusively on licensed content, has just put the product in general release. The credits-based subscription pricing ranges from $15 to $150 per month. In addition to ethical training on 1080p native video, Marey also takes a non-traditional approach on its user interface, eschewing prompts for what it says is a more creatively intuitive process. “Directors need precise control over every creative decision, plus legal confidence for commercial use. Today we’re delivering both,” says Moonvalley CEO and co-founder Naeem Talukdar. Continue reading Moonvalley’s Production-Tailored AI Marey Publicly Released

Netflix is taking steps aimed at upgrading the viewer experience, rolling out AV1 Film Grain Synthesis (FGS) streams to the majority of its subscribers. While FGS has been part of the AV1 standard since the Alliance for Open Media introduced the format in 2018, Netflix began to apply it to a limited number of titles in 2021 and is is now enabling it at scale. The streamer says the open-source FGS compression system “revolutionizes video streaming” and will “preserve the artistic integrity of film grain” — a feature generally considered essential to achieving a cinematic look — while also optimizing data efficiency. Continue reading Netflix Is Implementing AV1 Film Grain Synthesis Tech at Scale

China’s Baidu has added AI and voice features to its Ernie search engine and as of June 30 officially made its generative Ernie large language model open source in a direct challenge to OpenAI and Anthropic as well as local Chinese rival DeepSeek. “This isn’t just a China story. Every time a major lab open-sources a powerful model, it raises the bar for the entire industry,” University of Southern California Associate Professor of Computer Science Sean Ren told CNBC. Baidu is also giving the Ernie mobile app more chatbot-like functionality, enabling it to help with drawing, writing and travel tasks. Continue reading Baidu Delivers AI Updates to Search, Open-Sources Ernie 4.5

Google Labs is testing Doppl, an experimental app that uses AI to let you virtually try on clothes. Available on iOS and Android in the U.S., Doppl requires the user to upload a full body photo to which images of outfits can then be applied. It will work with various types of outfit photos, from pictures taken with a smartphone to screen grabs from shopping sites or social media. Doppl can also create AI-generated videos from a static image to give an idea of what the outfit would look like from different angles when worn. While Google hopes Doppl “helps you explore your style in new and exciting ways,” it cautions that the app “is in its early days and it might not always get things right.” Continue reading Google Doppl Lets You Try on Outfits Using Generative Video

YouTube is adding an AI-powered search results carousel that serves up video suggestions and topic descriptions. A search for “best beaches in Hawaii,” for example, could generate a carousel listing video clips and information on an assortment of snorkel spots and volcanic beaches. YouTube Premium subscribers in the U.S. can try the feature now on searches related to shopping, travel or location-based activities. The Google-owned platform is also expanding its test with conversational AI to some non-Premium users in the U.S. Premium members have been using it for search, recommendations and as a study aid. Continue reading YouTube Adds AI Search Results Carousel for Premium Subs

Xiaomi AI Glasses are the Beijing-based company’s first smart glasses to include a camera. Equipped with a 12MP Sony IMX681 point-of-view camera that captures 2K video at 30 fps, the new glasses also support real-time live-streaming and first-person video calls. Notable features include a 263mAh battery that Xiaomi says delivers 8.6 hours of mixed use and an electrochromic shaded lenses option that allows the wearer to control the tint. The clear-lens model starts at $280, while those with grayscale electrochromic shaded lenses start at $380. Colored electrochromic lens models begin at $420. Continue reading Xiaomi AI Glasses Tout Electrochromic Lenses and a Camera