In May 2025, Google unveiled Veo 3, an advanced AI video generator capable of producing high-quality, realistic videos with synchronized dialogue, sound effects, and music, all from a simple text prompt. The tool doesn’t just imagine scenes. It directs them. Whether you type in “a family picnicking in Central Park at sunset” or “a courtroom reenactment of a crime scene,” Veo 3 can deliver a full cinematic experience.
This is a massive leap from what artificial intelligence was capable of just a year ago. Early AI video tools struggled to maintain consistency from frame to frame. Characters morphed, lighting flickered, and motion looked robotic. A prime example of this is the infamous “Will Smith eating spaghetti” video. After seeing this, many people viewed artificial intelligence as a cute mini-joke.
In 2023, AI-generated video looked more like abstract art than cinema. The infamous spaghetti video featured a distorted Will Smith with warped facial features and looping, glitchy movements. It went viral not because of its realism, but because of how hilariously off it was. Fast forward to 2025, and Veo 3 delivers videos where people blink naturally, shadows fall realistically, and voices match lip movements. What once felt like a tech demo now feels like a trailer for a real film. polished, emotional, and almost indistinguishable from live-action footage.
For Rayan Mateen, a second-year NYU student specializing in AI and machine learning, the potential of Veo 3 is already clear:
“I can see it being used to demonstrate hypothetical situations in court,” Mateen said. “Right now, people are just dipping their toes in the water, but soon it can be used to better visualize what could happen.”
Rayan Mateen isn’t alone in recognizing that we’re living through a moment of explosive AI growth. When asked how he felt about the rapid acceleration of technology, he admitted,
“At first, I was alarmed, but then I began to embrace it. It’s a good turning point in society, it’s only up from here.”
He explained that the convenience of AI tools like ChatGPT, which consolidate internet resources in one place, is transforming how people learn and solve problems.
But Rayan Mateen was also quick to point out the risks.
“AI can be used to cheat in school, and tools like Google Veo 3 can be used to deepfake videos,” he warned. “The elders don’t know what’s real anymore, they’ll start losing their grip on reality.”
When asked how students and schools should respond to such powerful tools, Rayan Mateen emphasized digital literacy over fear.
“If people stay up to date with AI, they’ll be able to distinguish between what’s real and what’s not. We don’t need to spend too much time thinking about what we already know when we could be learning newer things. AI is a tool meant for humankind to use to prosper.”
Christian Jarihar, Mr. Kalloo’s top student assistant, also shared his views on how quickly AI has progressed.
“The shift from VEO 2 to VEO 3 was impressive; it shows how fast AI is advancing. Before we could easily tell when something is AI,” Jarihar said. “ Now it’s really hard, especially since AI also adds sound to the videos.”
VEO 3 was an indicator of how fast AI is progressing. With one switch, AI became almost unrecognizable.
When asked if Edison students might see an AI related course in the future, Jarihar explained that students have access through Mr. Kalloo’s program.
“Mr. Kalloo lets students take any certification they want. If they want to take an AI certification, they just have to ask, but its self study. If AI continues to expand at the rate it is going, we could start small with instructors willing to teach how to use AI as a tool, and how to advance it.”
As AI continues to evolve, it’s no longer just about what these tools can do, but what we choose to do with them. The explosive progress of AI, although scary, is nothing to truly fear. It can help guide people to a better future, as long as they use it correctly.
