Google announced Wednesday that it’s introducing new AI-powered features to Google TV, along with a dedicated short-form video feed that brings YouTube Shorts directly to your home screen.
At the heart of this update are additional features for Gemini. The “Create” button within the Gemini tab allows users to try out the generative AI tools Nano Banana and Veo. These will be rolled out first on Gemini-enabled TCL TVs in the US, with support for a wider range of devices to follow.
Nano Banana, Google’s image generation and editing model, allows users to transform photos using simple voice prompts. Users can swap costumes, change backgrounds, and generate entirely new scenes. Google is positioning the feature as a shared living room experience, encouraging playful prompts like asking the AI to “dress your dad in a silly outfit” for laughs from family and friends.
Veo, on the other hand, allows users to write scenarios, create clips from scratch, and animate still images. For example, “Let’s make Grandpa moonwalk in space.”
Google Photos will also be upgraded on Google TV. Search, powered by Gemini, allows users to quickly find specific memories, like vacations or birthday parties, without having to go through the entire library. Results are displayed in a viewable format, making it easy to view images full screen or launch a slideshow. There’s also a new “Remix” feature that lets you apply artistic styles like watercolor or oil painting to your photos.
Dynamic slideshows, on the other hand, introduce animated layouts, frames, and color handling. Users can turn their Google Photos collection into vibrant TV-ready slideshows by selecting Google Photos in their screensaver settings.
Beyond AI tools, Google is also focusing on the increasingly popular short-form videos. Coming soon, you’ll see a new “Shorts for you” row on your Google TV home screen, starting with content from YouTube Shorts.
The move follows YouTube’s recent introduction of an option to hide short videos on mobile, suggesting mixed user demand. Still, Google has hinted that this could expand beyond short videos to other platforms in the future. Instagram already expanded its TV app to Google TV devices in the US earlier this year.
If you buy through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This does not affect editorial independence.
