July 5, 2026
Google has quietly expanded its generative AI lineup with two new model releases. Nano Banana 2 Lite brings affordable text-to-image generation through the Gemini API, while Gemini Omni Flash enters preview with short-form video generation capabilities. Both models appear aimed at broadening access to Google's image and video tools.
Midjourney is pushing three Hollywood studios to disclose the specifics of their own AI use as part of an ongoing legal dispute. The move shifts scrutiny onto the studios themselves, raising questions about how openly the entertainment industry has been about its internal adoption of generative AI tools.
ByteDance is preparing to launch Seedance 2.5, the next version of its Dreamina-based video generation model, in July. The update's headline feature is the ability to produce AI-generated video clips of up to three minutes in length - a notable increase over what most current models offer. The longer output window could open up more practical use cases for creators working on short-form content.
ByteDance's AI video tool Seedance has drawn the Motion Picture Association's first-ever cease-and-desist against an AI company, triggered by a viral clip featuring AI-generated likenesses of Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. At the same time, industry insiders report that studios are quietly using the tool on a "don't ask, don't tell" basis - a contradiction that highlights the tension between Hollywood's public stance on generative AI and its private adoption of it.
