Google's Veo has emerged as the most beloved video generation tool among everyday users, according to the first AI-Oscar 2026 awards, a people's choice ceremony where tens of thousands of QUASA readers voted on their favorite AI tools across 12 categories. The results reveal a significant gap between what benchmarks predict and what real creators actually use and love in their daily work.

Which Video Generator Are People Actually Using?

In the "Best Short Film" category, Veo claimed the top spot in the inaugural AI-Oscar awards. While OpenAI's Sora remains a strong contender and Kling is still building its audience, Veo won the popular vote specifically for its accessibility and quality, according to voters. This outcome is particularly notable because it reflects the preferences of working creators rather than academic benchmarks or technical specifications alone.

The voting results came from a massive audience engagement effort. Across all 12 categories, tens of thousands of users cast ballots, with 96% of voters reporting they use AI tools several times a day or more. Additionally, 76% of respondents switch between three to five different AI tools every week, suggesting that video generation is just one piece of a larger AI toolkit that creators are assembling for their workflows.

What Do Creators Value Most in Video Generation Tools?

The victory of Veo over competitors like Sora and Kling points to specific user priorities that extend beyond raw technical capability. Voters praised Veo for its accessibility, meaning the tool is easy to learn and use without extensive technical knowledge. They also highlighted quality as a decisive factor, though the specific quality metrics voters valued most were not detailed in the awards announcement. The emphasis on accessibility suggests that creators are increasingly looking for tools that lower the barrier to entry, even if those tools don't necessarily offer the most advanced features available.

The broader voting data provides additional context about what matters to everyday AI users. When asked about their biggest frustrations with AI tools, voters cited inconsistent answer quality as the top concern. When asked about the biggest benefits, they pointed to dramatically increased speed and new creative possibilities. These responses suggest that reliability and consistency rank alongside raw capability in the minds of working creators.

How to Choose the Right Video Generation Tool for Your Workflow

• Test for accessibility: Spend time with the user interface and onboarding process before committing. Tools that are easy to navigate and require minimal learning curve tend to integrate better into existing creative workflows, as evidenced by Veo's popularity among everyday users.
• Evaluate consistency across multiple projects: Run several test projects with similar parameters to assess whether the tool produces reliable, predictable results. Inconsistent output quality was the top frustration cited by AI users, so consistency should be a primary evaluation criterion.
• Consider your tool ecosystem: Since 76% of creators use three to five different AI tools weekly, assess how well a video generation tool integrates with other platforms you rely on, such as editing software, asset libraries, or project management systems.

The AI-Oscar results also reveal that video generation is not the only category where Google tools dominated. In the "Best Art Direction" category for image generation, Gemini's Nano-Banana model won the people's choice award despite strong benchmark scores from ChatGPT's latest image generator. Gemini also took home the Grand Prix award for "Best Picture," the category asking voters which single tool they would keep if they could only use one. Users praised Gemini's balanced excellence across every category, rapid development, and seamless integration into Google Workspace.

The voting patterns suggest a broader trend in how creators are evaluating AI tools in 2026. Rather than focusing exclusively on technical specifications or benchmark performance, users are prioritizing practical factors like ease of use, consistency, speed, and integration with their existing workflows. The average impact on daily work was rated 8.6 out of 10 across all respondents, indicating that AI tools have become deeply embedded in creative and professional processes.

For video generation specifically, Veo's victory underscores that accessibility and quality matter more to everyday creators than cutting-edge features or theoretical capabilities. As the video generation landscape continues to evolve, with tools like Sora and Kling competing for market share, the results of the AI-Oscar 2026 provide a clear signal about what users actually want from these tools: reliable, easy-to-use platforms that deliver consistent results without requiring extensive technical expertise.