Google spotlights XR storytelling projects at Venice, using Gemini and spatial film tools

Google is bringing more AI-assisted storytelling to one of the world’s most prestigious film stages. During the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, the company’s 100 ZEROS team supported three Extended Reality, or XR, projects that are designed for audiences using Android XR devices. The projects, highlighted in a Google blog post dated Sept. 11, are intended to show how emerging immersive technology can expand the way stories are experienced, while keeping “human creativity” at the center.

XR is an umbrella term that covers immersive technologies that blend digital content with the physical world (such as mixed reality) or create fully virtual environments. In the Venice lineup Google is promoting, the common thread is interaction: the experiences are described as spatial, with elements like 3D depth and cinematic techniques, and each project incorporates conversational AI powered by Gemini, Google’s generative AI platform. Google also points to Vertex AI, a cloud machine learning platform, as part of the toolkit behind these demonstrations.

One project in the festival showcase is “NEVATARS,” a mixed-reality animated short created with Andy Serkis. Google describes it as filled with Gemini-powered conversations and interactive moments, centered on a narrative about embracing one’s creative voice. The pitch, as presented by Google, is that the animation is not only watched, but conversationally engaged, with AI participating in the experience rather than serving as a passive backdrop.

A second project, “Galápagos: The Last Eden,” is billed as an immersive XR journey narrated by Margot Robbie. Google says the experience brings nature to life and invites viewers to interact with a Gemini-powered “digital Charles Darwin.” In practical terms, the implication is that the storytelling environment is designed to respond to audience prompts, using conversational AI to deepen the engagement with the themes and subject matter.

The third Venice-supported effort is “Sedona,” a psychological thriller teaser by Asylm Studios. Google says the teaser is built for YouTube and uses Google’s 2D-to-3D XR auto-spatialization technology. Auto-spatialization refers to transforming flat or traditional 2D content into an experience with added depth and spatial positioning so it can feel more immersive when viewed in XR or compatible formats. Google’s framing emphasizes suspense delivered quickly, aimed at drawing viewers into a thriller tone through the spatial effect.

Google’s blog post also ties these projects together under the banner of its 100 ZEROS team, which the company describes as a group that partners with filmmakers to explore emerging technology. The company does not give financial details in the post, nor does it describe commercialization milestones. Instead, it positions the work as a creative-and-technical showcase, meant to demonstrate what XR creators can build when they combine immersive media tools with conversational AI and cloud AI infrastructure.

The company’s specific references to Gemini and Vertex AI highlight how it is stitching together different layers of its AI stack for media experiences. Gemini is described in the post as the conversational AI powering interactive moments, while Vertex AI is referenced as a tool behind the scenes that enables machine learning and generative applications in a production setting. For creators, this combination is notable because it suggests a pathway to embed AI-driven dialogue and responses into an immersive narrative, rather than limiting AI to behind-the-scenes production tasks.

Still, important details remain unstated in the public announcement. Google does not describe the exact implementation approach for each film, what portion of the interaction is pre-scripted versus dynamically generated, or what constraints apply to the conversational behavior of the digital Darwin character. The company also does not provide information on the availability of these projects beyond their festival presence, such as release timelines, supported languages, or which Android XR devices will be required.

For the next phase, the key question is whether these festival premieres translate into broader creator tools and more widely available audience experiences. Watch for follow-on updates that clarify distribution, user access requirements, and any technical or safety documentation for the AI-driven interaction elements. For Google, the commercial significance of these projects will likely depend on whether the experiences can be scaled beyond demonstrations into repeatable formats that creators can deploy across platforms.