A series of racist videos, reportedly created with Google’s Veo 3, have gone viral on TikTok.
These short clips rely on harmful stereotypes, primarily targeting Black people.
According to Media Matters, some videos also contain antisemitic content and racist portrayals of immigrants and Asians.
The videos have initiated conversations in digital rights groups, policymakers, and the public.
Millions of Views, Seconds of Harm
The videos are brief, often just eight seconds long, still, their negative impact is significant. One clip alone gathered over 14 million views.
Media Matters, a nonprofit watchdog, linked the videos to Google Veo 3 by identifying watermarks and related hashtags in the content.
Some posts included “Veo” in their captions or usernames. These indicators, combined with the videos’ format, aligned with Veo 3’s features, like the typical output cap of eight seconds.
Also read: The Best AI Video Generators 2025
What Is Google Veo 3?
Veo 3 is Google’s latest AI video tool, launched in May 2025. The tool turns written prompts into short video and audio clips.
On its website, Google states that Veo will block “harmful requests and results.” But despite this claim, the recent videos suggest gaps in moderation.
Google has not issued a public comment on the report as of now. The company’s existing safety mechanisms appear insufficient to prevent all harmful content.
TikTok’s Response
TikTok has also faced criticism as a platform that supposedly prohibits hate speech and stereotypes.
Yet, it allowed several of the videos to remain active long enough to gain traction.
In a statement to The Verge, TikTok spokesperson Ariane de Selliers said the platform removed the accounts named in the Media Matters report.
She noted that many of these accounts had already been banned before the report was released.
Still, many argue that TikTok acted too late. By the time the content was removed, it had already gone viral.
Other platforms, including YouTube and Instagram, were also found hosting similar content, although with fewer views.
A Lack of Oversight
The traction of these videos, despite obvious discouragement from social media apps, points to a possible lack of oversight.
Filters and automatic moderation systems often fall short. Therefore, harmful content spreads faster than it can be detected or removed.
AI tools like Veo 3 are excellent as they allow users to produce realistic videos within seconds.
However, this speed also makes it easier to create and share offensive material without meaningful oversight.
