Google’s Viral AI Image Generator

How Gemini 2.5 Flash could help Google catch up to its competitors

Welcome to another edition of AI 101, where every Wednesday we bring you the biggest AI update of the week.

This Week’s Update: Google Releases New AI Image Generator

Source: Google

On August 26th, Google officially released Gemini 2.5 Flash, a new image-generation model available through the Gemini App. The model makes major improvements in character consistency and now allows users to combine elements from multiple uploaded photos into a single image. All images made with Gemini include both a visible and invisible digital watermark to indicate the content was AI generated.

Google first launched the new model anonymously under the code name “Nano Banana.” It quickly reached number one on the LMArena Image Edit Leaderboard, a crowdsourced ranking platform. 2.5 Flash significantly outperforms older Gemini models and surpasses competitors like ChatGPT 4o in key image generation benchmarks.

Source: TechCrunch

Why This Is Important

ChatGPT remains the most popular chatbot with over 700 million weekly users. By comparison, the Google Gemini app hit around 450 million monthly active users in July. Google has struggled to keep up with the most advanced generative AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Grok, but its advancements in image generation provide an opportunity for the company to gain ground in the market.

AI’s ability to render increasingly realistic images also raises concerns about malicious use, including deepfakes and explicit content. Google claims it has implemented safeguards to prevent these actions, although Gemini’s visual output has come under fire in the past. The company was forced to roll back the chatbot’s image feature last year after it created racially inaccurate depictions of historical figures. Despite significant advancements in image generation in the past two years, the field remains largely unregulated.

Quick Hits:

• On Monday, X and xAI sued Apple and OpenAI, alleging the two companies have conspired to reduce competition in the AI industry. Apple has integrated ChatGPT into its operating systems across several devices.

• Last Friday, the Trump administration and Intel announced they had reached an agreement for the U.S. government to acquire a 10% stake in the California-based chipmaker.

---