Google Introduces Sparks Feature in Illuminate for TikTok-Style Explainer Videos

In a noteworthy development just days after the announcement of Material 3 Expressive, Google is set to unveil a compelling feature within its AI initiative known as Illuminate. This comes on the heels of an early leak, prompting users to humorously label the design as “feminine.”

A screenshot of the Google Illuminate interface

Recent insights shared by TestingCatalog reveal that Google is enhancing the capabilities of Illuminate. The latest update introduces a homepage featuring AI-driven audio summaries, covering classic literature such as Frankenstein and The Great Gatsby. Among the suite of new tools are experimental functionalities, including an Edit button and the ability to generate cover images. However, the standout feature is “Sparks, ”designed to produce brief, TikTok-style explainer videos based on user prompts.

Video Overviews — Image via TestingCatalog

The description of Sparks emphasizes that the videos are “100% AI-generated, ”suggesting a single model is responsible for aligning both video and audio generation based on a prompt.

According to TestingCatalog, samples of the vertical videos, lasting between one to three minutes, are available, although the tool for generating these videos seems to be limited to internal access at Google for the time being. Here’s an example of what these videos look like (note: turn the volume down before playing):

More samples can be found in this X thread by TestingCatalog. The quality of these sample videos has sparked speculation regarding the underlying technology, with potential references to Google’s Veo 3 model or a variant of the powerful Gemini multimodal model.

Additionally, there is growing curiosity about the connection to NotebookLM, another service that, along with Illuminate, raises questions about the number of “experimental”generative AI tools Google is exploring. Google has confirmed intentions to integrate a video overview feature with AI hosts into NotebookLM, enabling users to receive AI-crafted video explanations for their uploaded documents.

TestingCatalog further notes that given the similar conversational formats, it’s highly plausible that the technologies behind Illuminate’s Sparks feature and NotebookLM’s video functionalities share common underpinnings.

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