Google’s Nano Banana AI image tool is taking over your favorite apps

What you need to know

• NotebookLM now lets users generate visuals in six styles — from Watercolor to Anime — and even turn notes into narrated video summaries.
• Search and Google Lens are getting smarter, with a new Create mode that lets users snap or upload photos and instantly edit them using Nano Banana.
• Google Photos integration is next, making quick AI-powered edits possible right inside your photo library.

Google’s latest AI experiment, Nano Banana, is starting to show up everywhere, from Search and NotebookLM, and soon Google Photos.

Initially, Nano Banana was available only within Gemini, but Google is now expanding it into more consumer-facing products. In NotebookLM, the AI research assistant is getting a visual upgrade through Nano Banana. Users can now generate images to pair with their notes or summaries, choosing from six styles — including Watercolor, Anime, and Retro Print — to match the tone of their content, as per Google's blog post.

It also powers the new Video Overviews feature, which can automatically turn written material into narrated video summaries complete with AI-generated visuals. Meanwhile, Google Search is gaining a creative side: the upcoming Create mode in Google Lens will let users snap a photo and instantly edit it with Nano Banana.

Google confirmed the same tech will soon appear in Google Photos, giving users the ability to make quick visual edits or enhancements right inside their photo library.

More than a gimmick

Nano Banana started as an internal project with a fun name, but it is now becoming one of Google’s biggest AI launches. Powered by the Gemini 2.5 Flash Image model, it aims to make image generation and editing smarter, faster, and easier to use throughout Google’s products.

At its core, Nano Banana is an image generator and editor that can transform or tweak visuals with impressive precision. You can change an image’s background, adjust styles, or even alter clothing while keeping the subject recognizable. That character consistency is one of its biggest technical achievements, something Google says sets it apart from other AI image tools.

It’s also capable of merging multiple photos, enhancing old or low-quality images, and generating custom illustrations from text prompts. Every output includes visible and invisible watermarks through Google’s SynthID system to clearly label AI-generated content.

The model has been a breakout success since its debut earlier in 2025. According to Google, Nano Banana helped attract more than 10 million new users to Gemini.