“The implications are crazy” — Nano Banana AI goes viral, freaks people out, and sends Google Gemini to #1. Here’s why.

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ChatGPT is a hugely popular AI chatbot that’s been one of the most downloaded apps for months. Over 700 million people use it, sending more than 2.5 billion messages and requests daily.

So, what finally challenged ChatGPT’s leading position? It was a feature called “Nano Banana,” and right now, you can only find it within Google’s Gemini AI app.

Google Gemini is currently the most downloaded free app on both the US Apple App Store (for iPhone and iPad) and the Google Play Store, with ChatGPT coming in second place on both platforms.

Google recently added a feature called Nano Banana to its Gemini app with the August 26th update. According to Nicole Brichtova, Product Lead for Gemini Image at Google DeepMind, this new tool lets you edit images and create some really impressive effects.

The new feature’s release notes describe its capabilities, but they don’t capture how incredibly popular it’s become – users have already created over 500 million images in just a few weeks (according to The Independent).

According to Google’s release notes:

I’ve been playing with the newest version of our image tool, and it’s really impressive! It understands what I want much better now, making it super easy to create the images I envision. What’s really cool is that I can upload several pictures at once – I can mix ideas, take styles from different images, or even combine entire scenes. And if I upload a selfie, the tool does a fantastic job of keeping my likeness consistent throughout the image, so I can really put myself in any picture I create.

A major difficulty with creating images using AI is maintaining consistency – making sure specific parts of the image don’t change unexpectedly during the editing process.

Imagine you’re trying to create a photo of yourself on Mount Everest. If the initial result isn’t perfect, you might start making small changes to the request. However, repeatedly editing the image often leads to a distorted and unrealistic final product.

Nano Banana offers a unique feature: when you upload a photo of a person or animal, their appearance stays consistent even when you change their clothes or the background they’re in.

Nano Banana can do something really cool: it combines separate photos to create a brand new image. For example, you can digitally reunite with a friend or family member you haven’t seen in ages, or even bring back a cherished memory of a pet who’s passed away – and the results look surprisingly realistic!

I’m seriously blown away by what Google is showing off! They can actually blend different image styles together – imagine putting the pattern from a butterfly’s wing onto your dress while you’re pretending to walk on the moon! It sounds crazy, but it works. Apparently, it’s also pretty simple to turn yourself into a perfect 3D model, which the folks over at TechRadar already tried out. It all comes down to writing the right instructions, but wow, the possibilities!

The images are incredibly realistic, and my initial concern was how this technology could be misused. However, Google has assured users that all images created or modified within the Gemini app will have both a visible watermark and a hidden digital watermark called SynthID, making it clear they were created using AI.

Why is Nano Banana going viral?

Nano Banana has quickly become popular because it’s simple to use, offers strong editing features, and works very quickly, even for complicated tasks.

It also helps that this feature is already included with the free Gemini app. Plus, once you generate an AI image, you can share it on social media quickly and easily.

It feels like everyone is using Nano Banana to create 3D images – you see them everywhere on social media, constantly being shared and gaining popularity.

The consistency of nano banana is supreme. It’s a new era. from r/singularity

I was checking out the r/Singularity subreddit, and someone just blew my mind with Nano Banana. They were showing how easily it can rotate a subject to face the camera, and honestly, they said it best: the tool’s consistency is incredible. It really feels like we’re entering a new era of what’s possible with this kind of tech!

One commenter said it’s more frightening than impressive, adding that the potential global consequences are significant.

Since its release with Nano Banana, Google reports that Gemini has attracted over 23 million new users, and this number is likely to keep growing as the app gains popularity.

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2025-09-16 17:10