There's a lot of interest surrounding the next-generation image generation model, "Nano Banana." The name recently appeared on Reddit's AI model evaluation platform, LMArena, sparking speculation about the unidentified model. While the official source or developer has not been confirmed, the industry believes it's likely a private Google project, given the similarity in the texture and overwhelming quality of the generated images. Furthermore, Google has a history of internally using fruit names as codenames.
Nano Banana demonstrates the ability to create realistic, detailed images or freely edit existing images with simple text input. It naturally transforms an image while maintaining a consistent tone and context throughout the photo, with simple instructions like "Change the background" or "Change the subject's expression to a smile." Its unique feature is its ability to instantly reconstruct a scene, without the layer concept commonly found in image editing tools.
This model also provides features that ensure character and object continuity. When the same person appears in a multi-panel comic or advertising image, the model generates results that maintain style and individuality with just a prompt. Furthermore, it excels at transforming scenes into various artistic styles, including watercolor, oil, and cartoon-style, as well as realistic photographs.
Initial evaluations have garnered attention for its overwhelming performance compared to existing models. Reviews indicate a high level of completion even in challenging tasks, such as sharpening blurred photos or combining two images into one. However, some have pointed out that some results display details in an illogical manner.
Currently, Nano Bananas can be randomly experienced in LMArena's "Battle" menu. While users cannot directly select a specific model, they will occasionally be used when requesting image generation in the chat window. Limited opportunities to experience the model are also available on another platform, Flux-ai.
While its official identity remains unconfirmed, Nano Banana remains a mystery model within the AI community. If this model is indeed Google's project, the image generation AI competition is expected to be significantly shaken up once again.
