Google makes personalized AI image generation free for US users

Google announced on Monday that the Gemini app is expanding access to its personalized AI image generation feature, making it available to a broader audience. Starting on Monday, all eligible users in the U.S. can access the feature for free, a service that was previously restricted to paid subscribers of Google’s Plus, Pro, and Ultra tiers. The tool utilizes “Nano Banana-powered” image generation, which is Google’s specific branding for this image generation technology.

The image generation tool operates as part of “Personal Intelligence,” which is an opt-in feature that allows the Gemini app to access user data across connected Google services. When enabled, the feature allows Gemini to utilize data from a user’s Google account connections—including Gmail, Google Photos, YouTube, and Search—to generate images that reflect unique interests and preferences without requiring the user to specify those details in a prompt. For example, Gemini can pull actual images of a user from Google Photos, removing the need to manually upload photos. Users can decide which apps Gemini can access, and while the feature is set as the default for every prompt once enabled, it can be disabled using a toggle in the Tools menu.

The Personal Intelligence feature was initially rolled out to U.S. users in March, and Google subsequently announced back in April that the tool would receive the Nano Banana-powered image generation capabilities to allow users to create images reflecting their unique interests. This U.S. expansion follows Google’s recent rollout of the Personal Intelligence functionality to users in India and Japan. The broader release comes as Google continues to scale its AI ecosystem; the Gemini chatbot surpassed 750 million monthly active users earlier this year, reinforcing its position as a major player in the AI space.

In addition to the current rollout, Google is preparing several upcoming updates for the Gemini app. These future features include:

• The “Daily Brief” feature.
• The Gemini Omni AI video model.
• The Gemini Spark personal AI agent.

Why it matters

By removing the paywall for personalized AI image generation, Google is aggressively lowering the barrier to entry for its AI ecosystem, aiming to deepen engagement among its 750 million monthly active users.