Google launches Nano Banana Pro, an updated AI image generator powered by Gemini 3

On Thursday, Google introduced the Nano Banana Pro, its newest tool for image editing and generation, building on the excitement generated by its recent Gemini artificial intelligence model launch earlier this week. This innovative product is powered by the newly announced Gemini 3 Pro, which has already contributed to significant stock market gains for the company. Josh Woodward, Google's vice president of Labs and Gemini, shared insights with CNBC's Deirdre Bosa, emphasizing the advanced capabilities of the Nano Banana Pro compared to its predecessor released in late August. "It's exceptional at creating infographics. It can generate slide decks, and manage up to 14 different images or five characters while maintaining consistency among them," he explained. Internal users have already begun to experiment with the tool, inputting code snippets and LinkedIn resumes to produce compelling infographics. "The ability to visualize concepts that were not traditionally associated with visual media is one of the remarkable aspects users are discovering," Woodward noted. The original Nano Banana gained viral fame on social media as users transformed photos of themselves or their pets into hyper-realistic 3D figurines. In a post on X in September, Woodward highlighted that this product alone attracted 13 million new users to the Gemini app within just four days. Currently, Nano Banana Pro is available in the Gemini app, which offers limited free usage. It also integrates with Google’s writing assistant, NotebookLM, and various developer, enterprise, and advertising tools. Subscribers to Google AI Pro and Ultra will access the product through AI Mode in Google Search, with a phased rollout for Ultra subscribers in Flow, Google's AI filmmaking tool. A new feature in the Gemini app allows users to upload images to verify if they were generated by Google AI. While images created under free Nano Banana accounts will carry a watermark, this will be eliminated for Google AI Ultra tier subscribers. As the competition heats up in the generative AI landscape, Google is striving to catch up with OpenAI, particularly following the breakthrough of ChatGPT in 2022. Recently, OpenAI unveiled updates to its GPT-5 model, enhancing it to be more conversational and efficient. Currently, ChatGPT leads the free app category on Apple's App Store, with Gemini in second place. Google reports that the Gemini app boasts over 650 million monthly active users, while Gemini-powered AI Overviews serves 2 billion users each month. OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman recently revealed that ChatGPT has reached 800 million weekly active users. Woodward expressed optimism about the growing demand for Google AI products, noting that many users are opting for Gemini's subscription plan to enjoy increased limits with advanced models. "The influx of users across our products is encouraging, and we’re focused on meeting this demand effectively," he stated. He also mentioned ongoing efforts to expand AI offerings, spotlighting Flow and Genie, a model currently available in a limited research preview.