Google has revealed Pics, an AI image creator integrated into Workspace, aimed at competing with Canva in the realm of precise editing.

      Pics, utilizing Nano Banana 2, allows users to create images from text prompts and subsequently move, resize, or adjust individual elements without having to regenerate the entire composition. It will be introduced to Workspace Business Standard and higher users, as well as Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers, over the next few months.

      Google introduced Pics at the I/O 2026 developer conference on Tuesday, describing it as a new AI image generator and editor that will be integrated into Google Workspace. This product aims to compete with design tools like Canva and Adobe Express, featuring precision-editing controls that differ from the traditional ‘prompt-and-pray’ methods of previous AI image generators.

      Powered by Nano Banana 2, Google’s image model designed for precise text rendering, real-world knowledge, and detailed visual output, Pics allows users to manipulate individual objects within a composition, adjust embedded text, and update specific areas of an image without needing to regenerate the entire piece. This feature, termed localized object editing, is being heavily promoted as a key differentiator from single-prompt competitors.

      Another critical aspect of the launch is its integration with Workspace. Pics will be directly incorporated into Google Slides for image generation and editing within presentations, with the capability to save creations directly to Google Drive for easy sharing. While Google has not confirmed if Docs will support Pics, the product page specifically mentions Slides and Drive, indicating potential broader Workspace compatibility.

      Initially, Pics will be available through Google’s Workspace Experiments program for a select group of early-access testers. Administrators of organizations using Workspace can opt-in to this by enabling Gemini Alpha features. General availability of Pics for Workspace customers on Business Standard and higher plans, as well as Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers, is anticipated in the coming months. The company has not provided specific pricing information for these tiers nor indicated an additional fee specifically for Pics.

      Pics expands the Nano Banana family, which includes the Gemini app that Google has been releasing over the past year. Nano Banana 2 is particularly suited for precision tasks like rendering text on images and maintaining brand style consistency. According to a walkthrough by PetaPixel, the difference between Pics and OpenAI’s image-generation capabilities in ChatGPT lies more in workflow rather than model performance: while ChatGPT generates images more quickly, Pics offers users greater control to make modifications after the initial image is created.

      The field of AI design tools has become a competitive arena for major model laboratories, with Pics representing a significant commitment to integrating productivity tools rather than relying solely on standalone consumer apps.

      In terms of provenance, the launch aligns with Google’s SynthID watermarking system, which has been applied to Google’s generative image outputs since 2023 and which OpenAI adopted earlier this year following the C2PA standard. However, Google has not yet released a separate provenance statement for Pics outputs, though the integration within Workspace indicates that the same SynthID-by-default setup used across the Gemini family is likely applicable here. DeepMind has consistently included watermarking as a standard feature in its broader generative model releases through 2025 and 2026.

      What remains undisclosed by Google includes the timeline for per-tenancy enablement beyond the ‘coming months’ guideline, whether Pics will be available at no additional cost in the Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise, AI Pro, and AI Ultra categories, any potential usage limitations, the specific details regarding the Nano Banana 2 model, its benchmark scores, the underlying compute requirements, and if the precision-editing features will eventually be available in Docs and Gmail.

      The Workspace Discord community and the Experiments newsletter will serve as the main public channels for updates on availability. The next notable development will be the initial rollout to AI Ultra subscribers and Business Standard customers, anticipated this summer, based on timelines described in third-party briefings.