Sean Walsh
Sean is a Director at Intelligency heading up our digital marketing and client services operations. Sean has 15+ years experiencing working both in-house and agency with brands including Lloyds, Alstom, Hitachi, Lufthansa, Viaplay, DFDS Seaways and Mercedes-Benz.
Google is rolling out a powerful new AI video tool called Veo 3 on YouTube Shorts later this summer – and it could completely change how marketers and creators make short-form videos.
What is Veo 3?
Veo 3 is an AI tool that creates short videos from just a few lines of text. Instead of filming, editing, or hiring a production team, all you need to do is type in what you want the video to show and Veo 3 will generate the visuals and even sound for you.
This is a step up from Google’s previous experiments with AI tools like Dream Screen. Veo 3 aims to deliver full videos with high production value, created entirely from a written prompt.
Why does this matter to digital marketers?
Faster content creation: Marketers can now generate engaging, short video ads or brand content without needing a camera or editor.
- Lower costs: This makes video creation far more accessible for small teams or brands with limited budgets.
- More experimentation: You can test more creative ideas quickly, since you’re not tied to expensive or time-consuming production processes.
- In short: it could revolutionise how branded content is made on YouTube Shorts, giving even smaller brands the chance to compete creatively.
What are the risks?
While the tech is exciting, there are concerns:
- The Shorts feed may get overcrowded with AI-generated content, making it harder for authentic, high-quality videos to stand out.
- There’s a risk of low-effort or misleading content being created at scale.
- Some creators worry about being pushed out, as AI videos take up more space and attention on the platform.
To address some of these concerns, YouTube is developing a “likeness protection” tool in partnership with talent agency CAA, to help protect creators and public figures from having their image used without permission.
What does this mean for the future?
Veo 3 has the potential to open the doors for more brands and voices to join the Shorts space — but it also raises serious questions about content quality, originality, and trust.
As a marketer, this means:
- AI video content might become the norm so thinking about how your brand maintains authenticity and quality will be key.
- You may need to adjust your creative strategy as the content landscape shifts.
- Keeping up with YouTube’s algorithm and evolving rules around AI-generated content will be essential to staying competitive.
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan described Veo 3 as a way for “anyone with a voice” to reach an audience. For marketers, it’s a powerful opportunity but one that comes with the responsibility to use it thoughtfully.
