Google just unveiled a new AI tool that can generate video – and as usual with these things, it’s unclear whether we should be impressed or mildly alarmed.
Turns out, eight seconds of video are enough to spark some serious conversation: Enter Google Flow – a new tool that uses the video generation model Veo to crank out AI-generated clips at the push of a button. Feed it a text prompt or a digital moodboard, and Veo handles the rest. The result? Eight seconds of footage that feel disturbingly close to something real.
Victory Royale Without The Copyright Strike (Allegedly)
That Veo has a pretty good idea of what Fortnite looks like is clear from a clip posted by Matt Shumer. His prompt? Simply: "Streamer getting a victory royale with just his pickaxe." No mention of Fortnite – and yet, Flow generated a video that looks like it came straight from the Battle Bus. Third-person camera, familiar movement, victory royale vibes – all present and accounted for. And yes – the streamer isn’t real, either. Not even the voice. Creepy.
Uhhh... I don't think Veo 3 is supposed to be generating Fortnite gameplay pic.twitter.com/bWKruQ5Nox
— Matt Shumer (@mattshumer_) May 21, 2025
As the internet wonders how many lawyers Epic Games has on speed dial, Google stays quiet. So far, there’s been no official answer to whether Veo is allowed to mimic copyrighted aesthetics. Possibly because the answer wouldn’t be especially comfortable from a legal standpoint.
Are AI Streamers About To Take Over?
So what does this mean for platforms like Twitch? Streaming has always been about watching real people play games, cook, talk – or fall asleep mid-stream. Veo, however, flips that logic. Why bother streaming at all when you can just generate the footage that looks like you did?
Twitch has already added a dedicated AI content category. The platform, however, hasn’t exactly been eager to define any rules. Only deepfake adult videos are explicitly banned (small victories), while the rest seems to be flying below the radar for now. Whether that applies to a hypothetical AI-PewDiePie playing a hypothetical GTA 7 – or if the copyright question might come up again at that point – remains unclear.
Somewhere Between Uncanny Valley And Actual Community
Yes, it’s technically impressive. But what Veo produces is nowhere near convincing – yet. Blank faces, awkward body language, and a finger count that shifts from hand to hand. And still, it often looks real enough to pass in a quick Twitch clip or social scroll.
That’s the unnerving part: it doesn’t scream "fake" at first glance. But it lacks everything that makes streaming actually work – real reactions, unscripted conversations, and most importantly: interaction with a community. That messiness, the weird charm of live chat chaos, the unpredictable streamer meltdown – none of that can be faked. At least not with what’s currently out there. So maybe for now, this stays what it is: a well-made party trick. And honestly, that’s more than enough.