Google has revealed a new AI tool called Flow, which is designed to help filmmakers and creatives make high-quality videos using artificial intelligence.
Watch: Google teases Flow’s cutting-edge video making capabilities
The tool is powered by Veo 3, Google’s most advanced generative video model, and the company says it produces visuals so realistic that many viewers can’t tell they were made by AI.
According to Google, Flow allows users to describe their ideas in plain language — the way they would talk to someone — and the tool will generate video clips based on those descriptions.
This means that anyone, even with no film editing experience, could potentially create professional-looking cinematic scenes just by typing in what they want to see.
What we know about ‘Flow’
Flow is built specifically to work with Google’s most powerful AI models — Veo, Imagen, and Gemini. Each of these models has a different function: Veo creates the videos, Imagen helps turn words into images, and Gemini makes it easy to give instructions in everyday language.
Some of Flow’s standout features include:
- Camera controls, which let users choose angles, movements, and shots as if they were using a real film camera.
- SceneBuilder, which lets users edit and expand their clips to show what happens before or after a particular moment.
- Asset Management, a tool to help users organise their prompts, images, and characters.
- Flow TV, a built-in library of user-generated clips, complete with the prompts used to make them. This helps new users learn how to get started.
Once a clip is created, users can keep using the same characters or objects in other scenes, which is helpful for telling a consistent story — something earlier AI tools struggled with.
Is ‘Flow’ AI available in South Africa?
At the moment, Flow is only available in the United States for users who are 18 years and older. It is part of Google’s AI Pro and Ultra subscription plans, meaning you need a paid account to access it.
Google says more countries will be added soon, but no official date has been given for when it will launch in South Africa.
For now, South African users can view some of the sample clips online, but they cannot yet use Flow to create their own content.
Google recommends using Flow on a desktop computer with a Chromium-based browser like Google Chrome for the best results.
With its ability to create lifelike videos from just a simple prompt, Flow is expected to change the way filmmakers and content creators tell stories — once it becomes available to more users around the world.
